BY: MICHAEL C. CLARK
Coexisting on Earth Homo sapiens Quagmire
by: Michael C. Clark
©2018 Michael C. Clark
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or
mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical reviews, references in other literary works, and certain other noncommercial educational
uses permitted by copyright law through fair use.
Published in the United States of America
First Edition
98765432 1
ALoganapithecus Production
www. coexistingonearth. com
This Book is Dedicated to:
Maya Rain and all the children of the world, for it is the children that are the
future, and this is what will truly change the world in a positive way.
and to
Loganapithecus, who was not my dog, but a companero that found me through fate.
Contents,
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I.
Homo sapiens Lost Connection with Nature and the Aftermath
CHAPTER II.
Homo sapiens Excessive Footprint
CHAPTER III.
Homo sapiens Depredation of Earth
CHAPTER IV.
Denial of Global Warming and other Environmental Issues
CHAPTER V.
Frankenstein Science and Attempting to Play God
CHAPTER VI.
The Conservation of Earth
CHAPTER VII.
The Future
CHAPTER VIII.
Going Back to Nature and Coexisting on Earth
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
Having explored and been fascinated with nature since childhood in the bayous of Louisiana and the deserts of
Arizona, 1 have always asked questions like, why don’t more Homo sapiens see the beauty and perfection in the
natural world? Why are Homo sapiens so immersed in civilization searching for something that is right in front
of them in nature? Why are Homo sapiens so ruthlessly destroying the Earth? In 2010, 1 escaped the thralldoms
of society and set off with my companero to explore the ecosystems of the western United States. 1 bought a
video camera and began filming the nature 1 was encountering, but not in the traditional nature documentary
sense of focusing on sensationalism and death while only filming one species. Instead, 1 filmed in cinema-verite
style and shot everything, florae, faunae, weather, landscapes, geology, and even Homo sapiens depredations, in
short everything 1 encountered. 1 did not bait, wait, or specifically seek out species, 1 simply explored and filmed
what 1 discovered while hiking on foot.
Between July 2010 and November 2012, we explored 33 ecosystems in 11 western states filming more than
20,000 shots to ultimately produce 70 hours of documentary film. During those 2 years in the wilds of nature I
contemplated much about not only nature, but about the civilized world 1 had left behind, and when we came out
of the wilds of nature to resupply every few weeks 1 felt even more disconnected with society and that 1 had no
real place in it. 1 could not understand how or why all this nature was just ignored by most and why so many
were destroying the planet while so few were trying to preserve and study it. Eventually, I purchased a very
remote property in the Chihuahuan desert of southwest Texas, where 1 set up an 18’ x 12’ cotton canvas tent with
poles made from sotol and lived in a canyon for 2 years having very little contact with the outside world. It was
about as close as one could get in today’s United States to that of the world which Henry David Thoreau, John
Muir, and other eccentric outcasts of that era experienced, and the one which 1 had longed for all my life. It is
remote in every sense of the word, 1 0 miles north of the Mexico border, the nearest neighbor was several miles
away, the nearest town was a 45 -minute drive away, the nearest hospital 100 miles away, and the nearest
Walmart 250 miles away. There is no light pollution, and on a clear night one can see the Milky Way Galaxy
with the naked eye, one of the last places in the continental United States where this is still possible.
It was here after 1 5 years that my companero lived out his last days, and it was here that we finally made our
home, coexisting in the wilds of nature making a very small footprint living naturally as we had done all along
while on expedition. I finally edited all the nature footage shot on expedition combined with the footage which
was shot while exploring the Chihuahuan desert ecosystem over 2 years and distributed it freely online.
www.thenatureexplorers.com All the while still contemplating about civilization and the continuous depredation
of Earth, and so, I began writing what eventually became the contents of this book. It was not originally intended
to be a book, but more answers to my questions. Did I find any answers? I like to think so, and although there are
many answers, my overall conclusion is that most Homo Sapiens have lost their connection with nature.
Reading this book, one may think it negative or pessimistic and that it is too critical of Homo sapiens. Some may
have not yet evolved enough intellectually, spiritually, or morally and will most likely not agree with many of the
points made in this book. Others will undoubtedly find some things in this book offensive to their way of life and
will disagree with some of the points made, but as the adage goes, you can have your own opinion but not your
own facts. Scientific facts are not lies but the truth. Hippocrates remarked,
“There are, in effect, two things: to know and to believe one knows. To know is science. To believe one knows is ignorance.”
Opinions do not change the facts which are within this book, nor do they alter the reality which surrounds you
and the rest of the world right now, the reality which so many are oblivious to. The truth can sometimes hurt,
especially to the ignorant and closeminded which do not see the reality of the world, and thus they are even more
so reluctant to change. I can only say this to those individuals, examine the information presented in this book,
thoroughly examine the references quoted, and perhaps you too will come to similar conclusions and ask some
of the same questions which are in this book. You can show Homo sapiens reality through education and access
to the scientific truth, but unfortunately you can't make them believe it, this they must do on their own with
reason. Thomas Paine wrote,
"The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason."
Many are bom into a world of lies and misconceptions, and if one wants to find out the truth they must seek it
out on their own, too few fortunate individuals are exposed to the truth early on in life, if at all. Everyone surely
knows of some type of social and environmental issues on Earth, and they may even be affected directly, but I
would postulate that very few know the entire scope of what is covered in this book. My hope is that the reader
will come away with a different perspective on the issues covered in this book, as I don’t think most realize the
vastness and more importantly the severity of the issues, much less the true history of civilization. Many of the
issues which are discussed in this book are unknown to most, they receive little to no news coverage by most of
the mainstream news media, most politicians are not focused on solving these issues, and they are rarely if ever
spoken about during the daily conversations of most average citizens. If the issues remain unknown to most, and
there is no political and public discourse about these issues they will most likely take far longer to solve.
Many of the issues in the world today are caused from the majority of Homo sapiens lacking even a basic respect
for Earth because they have no true connection with nature, being imprudent and having no forethought about
what their negative actions will do, lack of basic environmental education, too much focus on materialism and
greed, corrupt governments which are heavily influenced by polluting corporations, and environmental laws not
being stringent enough or not being enforced at all. When Homo sapiens are not affected directly by an issue,
they often do not know, and thus they do not care as it is out of sight and out of mind. Many individuals are not
scientifically minded and do very little scientific reading, which results in much of society being extremely
ignorant about critical scientific issues affecting the environment and society itself.
The CIA World Factbook states,
“The Intelligence Cycle is the process by which infonnation is acquired, converted into intelligence, and made available to
policymakers. Information is raw data from any source, data that may be fragmentary, contradictory, unreliable, ambiguous,
deceptive, or wrong. Intelligence is infomiation that has been collected, integrated, evaluated, analyzed, and interpreted.
Finished intelligence is the final product of the Intelligence Cycle ready to be delivered to the policymaker.
The three types of finished intelligence are: basic, current, and estimative. Basic intelligence provides the fundamental and
factual reference material on a country or issue. Current intelligence reports on new developments. Estimative intelligence
judges probable outcomes. The three are mutually supportive: basic intelligence is the foundation on which the other two are
constructed; current intelligence continually updates the inventory of knowledge; and estimative intelligence revises overall
interpretations of country and issue prospects for guidance of basic and current intelligence. The World Factbook, The
President's Daily Brief, and the National Intelligence Estimates are examples of the three types of finished intelligence.”
I have attempted to follow this intelligence standard in writing this book and have gathered the latest data from
the most reliable and reputable sources, and when applicable ensuring the data is from scientific sources that
have directly observed and analyzed the subject, rather than an extremist or alarmist writer which has
manipulated and exaggerated the data. There appears to be widespread exaggeration of statistical data regarding
environmental and social issues by some non-profit organizations in what 1 can only imagine is their attempt to
gain support by exasperating the issues, these sources have been eliminated entirely. It is very important to check
all the facts on a subject before making any decisions, judgments, or speculations as there are many sources
which glamorize facts in an attempt to make them sound even more spectacular than they really are. For
instance, if someone were to say that some 200 flora and fauna species go extinct every year, it initially sounds
like a very large number, but if one were to compare this number with the total number of identified and
catalogued flora and fauna species, which is 1,200,000 the 200 number seems rather small. At this rate in 100
years 20,000 species would go extinct or 1.6%, which is a relatively small percentage of species. That is not to
say that this number is not concerning, nor does it mean that nothing should be done to correct it, but it should
not the focal point and it should be put into context with other data like the total number of species, is the species
rare and there have never been more than 1 00 living on Earth at any given time, and ultimately what is causing
the extinction.
When noted, some information in this book was sourced from Wikipedia and has not yet been verified, thus the
information is ambiguous raw data and there may be some inaccuracies in this data, it is not finished
intelligence. Many of the statistics in this book are only for the United States and not the world as none are
available in many instances, and therefore the actual totals are most likely far greater when contemplating the
issues on a global scale. Some of the issues are even greater in 3rd world countries, as they are so far behind the
western world in conservation, recycling, education, etc. Some facts and even estimates are unavailable, or the
data is extremely old. It makes one also wonder why so much important data is limited or hard to find in the age
of information, why doesn’t the government publish data, even if it’s estimative intelligence, on every
environmental and social issue for each year from the last 100 years? 1 have refrained from using number words
like trillion, billion, or million when giving a statistic, as 1 feel number words such as these do not emphasize the
reality and actual scale of things. Large number words seem to have become common place and are interpreted
as just meaning allot and the reality of the actual number is not seen, 1 ,000,000,000,000 or trillion, 1 3 characters
turns to 8, the word literally shrinks the size of the actual number and it has less impact, especially when
attempting to visualize facts regarding subjects like population, pollution, death, etc.
1 was told when 1 was a kid, like so many others, that 1 asked too many questions and that 1 should accept some
things simply for what they are. 1 would not accept this, and so 1 asked even more questions as 1 still do to this
day. Some questions are simply unanswerable but are asked more to put the subject matter or amount of
something into perspective, (e.g. How much oil has been used since it was discovered thousands of years ago?
How much environmental damage has been done to Earth from all the oil ever extracted?) These types of
questions are impossible to answer accurately or even estimate, but one could surmise that it is an enormous
amount and that it has done allot of environmental damage. Other questions are self-explanatory and are simply
asked to convey or emphasize a point. And some questions are unknowable at this stage but should be asked as
they will be relevant in the future. This book by far does not cover every issue or all of Homo sapiens
depredations, there are simply too many, not to mention some of which are not even known to anyone but those
committing the destructive act. I have attempted to keep the composition of facts in this book intact by quoting
the sources in exact detail in order to be as meticulous as possible. Anyone can reference any of the resources
listed in the bibliography for additional information, and some sources can also be contacted with further
questions.
About the cover photo: This image was taken on our last expedition of Series 4, the ‘El Rio De Las Animas
Perdidas En Purgatorio Expedition ’ in Colorado during November 2012. It was the last day of the expedition,
winter was setting in, and the mornings were cold. We had just arisen from our chilly slumber when a vehicle
arrived near our camp, and two males exited the vehicle with rifles entering the brush. About 30 minutes later we
heard a gunshot, and then the loud yelping of a canine agonizing. About 1 0 minutes later the two men came back
to their vehicle at which time 1 approached them, the canine endlessly yelping in the background. The first thing
they did was anxiously boast about their recent murder in asking, “Did you hear us shoot we got one!” 1
responded, “1 hear a coyote yelping that sounds as though you shot it and left it to suffer and die.” Their excuse
was that it deserved to suffer, that it was a filthy disgusting animal that should be extinct. They proceeded to
explain how it was legal to kill coyotes, and although no one had asked them, they had taken up the task of
killing coyotes on the weekends to help keep population numbers in check, and as an added bonus they got to
kill coyotes for sport. They drove off with the coyote was still yelping in agony.
Over the next hour 1 heard several other coyotes in the distance calling, but to no avail, their companion would
never answer their calls as it had been ruthlessly and senselessly murdered. About 20 minutes later, once the
other coyotes had found their fallen pack member, they let out horrendous, violent, angry yelping noises that
lasted some 10 minutes. As anthropomorphic as it may sound, it was as if they knew that their fellow species
member had been murdered like so many others before it. 1 tracked where the two men had been ultimately
leading me to the body of the dead coyote. During my two and a half years of filming the Western North
American Ecosystems 1 always wanted to get footage of a coyote, which is quite difficult in the wild as they are
very elusive and nocturnal. This was the only picture that 1 ever took of a coyote, and to me personally, it is a
perfect representation of the quagmire Homo sapiens have with coexisting on Earth.
About the first edition: 1 have contacted numerous publishers and am told the traditional publishing process is a
slow one and that it could take up to a year or more to release the book, if at all. This book has not been
proofread by an editor or anyone else, my forte is not writing, and I can be extremely long-winded at times. So,
if the reader would be so kind as to forgive the author in advance for the grammatical errors and the unordered
bibliography. Although the book is not complete in this sense, 1 am releasing the book, as is, with the errors
intact, as 1 feel, due to the subject matter being discussed it is imperative to release now. This book is a work in
progress, and there will no doubt be revised editions in the future which will contain grammatical corrections as
well as additional statistical information. But the data and message of the book, as is, will be clear to most if they
can simply look past the grammatical errors and focus more on the message being discussed. Not to justify these
errors in any way, but other authors are notorious for having used bad grammar, (e.g. Charles Dickens for using
run-on sentences, E.E. Cummings for not capitalizing words, H. L. Mencken for incomplete sentences, William
Faulkner for starting a sentence with a conjunction, Jane Austen for using double negatives, William
Shakespeare for ending a sentence with a preposition, and more recently E. L. James's ‘Fifty Shades of Grey ’
also contained numerous grammatical errors)
CHAPTER I.
Homo sapiens Lost Connection with Nature and the Aftermath
Agriculture and the Origins of Modern Civilization
‘It's not a perfect world’ is an axiom that most Homo sapiens would not argue with, but the Earth was nearly
perfect, from a perspective of nature and the ecosystems which other biota inhabit, and this time was not in the
too distant past. A relatively perfect, balanced, and flawless system with few depredations done by Homo
sapiens, mainly the extinction of some large fauna species during the Pleistocene era caused by overhunting and
destruction of habitat, which coincided with Homo sapiens colonization of Australia, New Zealand, North
America, and Madagascar. (635) Homo and their closely related extinct relatives coexisted on Earth in very small
numbers perfectly for some 8,000,000 or more years, but over the last 10,000 years, Homo sapiens have
gradually lost a vital natural connection and respect for Earth, but more especially towards the florae and faunae
which also inhabit the planet. This sudden and devastating change began around the time when mass agriculture
was started resulting in the development of civilizations, and eventually led to, among other things, religions,
governments, money, corporations, and a plethora of social issues.
When mass agriculture was started around 10,000 years ago, it resulted in an abundant surplus of food, this
quickly led to the establishment of villages, towns, city-states, and ultimately countries. This power over the
masses with food and eventually other necessities in life, led to social hierarchies based on wealth which have
persisted and had a negative impact not only on society, but also on the Earth as well. With agriculture, the world
began to organize and thrive in many aspects, yet it was also the start of many negative social traits like the self¬
seclusion mentality, xenophobia, and nationalism. Eventually over time, social immoralities evolved not only
within some societies themselves, but also towards other outside different societies as well, many of which still
plague some present-day societies, (e.g. war, discrimination, racism, murder, rape, social classes, greed, slavery,
assimilation of indigenous Homo sapiens, etc.)
Around 300 years ago, when commercial agriculture overtook subsistence fanning with monoculture, this was
quite possibly one of the most defining moments which helped in creating a very dilapidated future for the life
sustaining food sources Homo sapiens consume. That is to say, it propelled Homo sapiens greed and tyranny to
an entirely new realm, in the fact that food is a necessity and once a species is dependent on a source of readily
available food it becomes far less independent. One can plainly see an example of this in domesticated animals
and more especially in the dog. This commercialization of agriculture also changed the type and quality of the
food being consumed which resulted in a range of health issues and chronic diseases of affluence which most
western societies are currently experiencing, some at epidemic proportions, (e.g. obesity, diabetes, high blood
pressure, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, strokes, various cancers, etc.)
Over the last 300 years more and more Homo sapiens have moved to civilization where all the necessities of life
are readily available, in 2017 an estimated 50% of the 7,300,000,000 Homo sapiens living on Earth dwell in an
urban area. (106) As a result, there has been less individual dependency on nature for sustenance, which has also
led to less interaction with nature, (e.g. gathering food, firewood, water, etc.) Not having to rely on nature for
daily sustenance and thus not interacting with nature on a daily basis also helped to make many Homo sapiens
less respectful towards Earth, as it seems meaningless to be a good steward of Earth or to even care about how
civilization has depredated the Earth and continues to ever more increasingly. What took Earth 4,500,000,000
years to evolve into, Homo sapiens depredations over a very short period have either altered or completely
destroyed forever.
Most modern-day agriculture is unsustainable because of the negative and unnatural methods being used. (e.g.
genetic modification, monoculture, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) Some companies even go so far as to
transport bees thousands of miles to pollinate their agricultural crops. Others attempt to change the landscape or
practice agriculture under near impossible environmental conditions wasting precious resources. Ward
Chesworth wrote,
“In addition, it must be recognized that agriculture as practiced from the start, has never been sustainable. It has always
resulted in a drawdown of the natural capital of the Earth to the degree that human beings have become a dominating
geological force on the planetary surface, and the long-tenn persistence of human civilization has become problematical. In
the words of Angus Martin (1975): 'How many millennia of deforestation, dust stonns and soil erosion has it taken for us to
realize that our agricultural methodology has had serious flaws in it from the start.'” (12)
If society would not have gone down the path of greed and tyranny started by the surplus of food could a more
utopian world have developed? Even today there seems to be social, moral, or other issues affecting an even
more abundant food surplus. The Green Revolution helped to produce higher yielding crops in less time and
ultimately a food surplus, and yet there is a food distribution problem and some Homo sapiens are starving to
death as a result. Whether it be self-inflicted from war, greed, environmental depredations, or civilization's
expansionist tendencies, the entire history of Homo sapiens has been one in which millions continue to die from
easily preventable causes, and in essence these deaths are a result of nothing more than a dysfunctional society.
One might think that in modem society, with all the social, scientific, and technological advancements which
have been made up until this point, that the basic necessities to live, (e.g. water, food, medicine, shelter,
education, restroom access, etc.) would be available to every citizen of Earth at no monetary cost, and that they
would also be of the highest quality. When a society begins to seek extreme financial profits from the necessities
of life, and some Homo sapiens are living in poverty with limited or no access to these necessities, there has
been a serious moral deterioration within that society.
Homo sapiens Current Food Consumption
Current food quality and availability is now mainly controlled by a few commercial food and agricultural related
companies, and the mergers and takeovers have only continued. Dow Chemical and DuPont merged in 20 1 7, and
Bayer’s proposed takeover of Monsanto in 2016 which is expected to be finalized in 2018, are the most recent
monopolies to emerge. Chinese investors have also spent $91,000,000,000 over the last 10 years purchasing
nearly 300 foreign companies involved in food, agriculture, or chemicals. (429) These commercial food and
agricultural related companies heavily influence agricultural, food, health, and other related government policies.
And now with food libel laws having recently been passed in 13 U.S. states any person or group that makes
disparaging comments about food products could potentially be sued by the food manufacturer or processor
simple for being a critic.
The March 2016 National Geographic Magazine, noted that out of the 30,000 known edible plants on Earth, only
7,000 are cultivated or collected for food, and only 30 of these are staple crops which feed most Homo sapiens.
In the United States, the U.S. farm bill and other government legislation has allowed for the subsidization of
com, soy, wheat, and rice making these four main sources of processed unhealthy foods cheap, while healthy
fruits and vegetables have little to no subsidization at all. These government subsidies are used to create
environmentally destructive, inexpensive, unhealthy foods loaded in fat, salt, and sugar. Can't the commercial
food and agricultural industries in an eco-friendly manner produce inexpensive, plentiful, healthy, all-natural
organic fruits and vegetables using these same subsidies, and if so, why aren't they? History has proven that food
can be healthy and that it, along with all other living necessities can be created from natural biodegradable
sources, which can be grown in abundance very inexpensively and in an eco-friendly manner. So why isn't it still
being done today as was done for thousands of years before?
Most of the food available today is highly -refined, has additives, is genetically modified, and from an extremely
unhealthy food source containing little natural nutritional value. Many of the foods available to consumers have
traveled hundreds even thousands of miles across the globe from the source requiring chemical additives or other
unnatural processes to maintain it edibility. The food today that has been highly-refined is loaded with additional
artificial ingredients, flavor enhancers, preservatives, and is fortified or enriched with added nutrients. Sodium is
added excessively to most all foods in the form of iodized salt, sea salt, or other artificially created sodium-based
ingredients like sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, etc. Homo sapiens
ingest vast quantities of iodized salt which has been enriched with inorganic compounds like potassium iodate,
potassium iodide, sodium iodate, or sodium iodide. Can consumers not get enough from consuming beans,
strawberries, cranberries, potatoes, or other fruits and vegetables which are naturally rich in iodine? As the food
is processed a host of other mostly artificial ingredients are added to enhance flavor, aesthetic appeal, and help
with preservation. As a result of all the processing, nutritional value is lost and the foods are then fortified or
enriched with things like whey, gluten, niacin, iron, thiamin, vitamin C, etc. to add back the lost nutrition. Sugar
substitutes like aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are also added to many food items in an attempt to
market them as healthier. High fructose com syrup is added to many foods as a sugar substitute and vast
quantities are consumed in the form of soda and other so called 'junk foods'. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration monitors the levels of about 800 contaminants and nutrients contained in consumer foods. Foods
have nutrition fact labels and the ingredients listed, so why then isn't every contaminant also listed with another
label entitled 'accumulated hidden toxins ’? If every contaminant and the possible side-effects were also listed
would most consumers just ignore the warning as so many do with alcohol and tobacco? Would Homo sapiens
have less contaminated food and be healthier if they became involved directly in their food production by having
a small garden, versus depending entirely on the food system which corporations have set up based mainly
around profits and not nutrition?
Often, food is erroneously marketed with misleading words like nutritional, healthy, fat -free, sugar-free,
ecological, eco-friendly, or natural, when in fact it is some of the most disgusting, unhealthy, and unnatural food
available. Some companies even display misleading images showing something that looks healthy, yet the final
product is nothing like the image used to advertise the product. Why is it legal for food companies and
restaurants to advertise picture -perfect food on a food product label, product packaging, menu, or in commercial
advertisements, when in fact the final product being consumed is nowhere near the one being advertised, and is
far different in reality, is this not false advertising? Why do consumers continue to buy into this picture -perfect
food lie?
In most grocery stores, foods that are preservative free, additive free, low-sodium, non-GMO, vegan friendly,
and organic are becoming more mainstream, but a wide selection is very difficult to find, and one must often
resort to a specialty store like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, another local vegan grocery store, cultural or regional
markets or stores, or a farmers’ market. Many times, it also costs far more than unhealthy food which is created
to sell more and marketed to sell to all, thus making it impossible for some consumers to afford healthy vegan
food. Vegan and eco-friendly products cost far less to manufacture, but as demand for vegan and eco-friendly
products has increased often with little competition, some vegan food companies are engaged in price gouging.
If companies did less price gouging on vegan and eco-friendly products would there be far more consumers
using them? If the pricing issue is partially due to manufacturing costs being so high, would this decrease if
vegan and other eco-friendly products became mainstream? Why would a consumer, especially if they are on a
very fixed income with such a limited budget, choose a vegan or other eco-friendly product if it costs twice as
much?
One could hypothesize that food sources of the not too distant past tasted purer and natural and were perhaps
even more nutritional than today's food. Could this be in part to the food sources having been more organic,
unmodified, unrefined, Earth not having been as polluted terrestrially or atmospherically, and the soils having
not been so overtaxed? Or could the flavor have been literally bred out of food from modifying it too much? A
2017 study on improved tomato flavor found that modem commercial tomato varieties contained significantly
lower amounts of many important flavor chemicals than older tomato varieties. (503) The following is a general
list of food additives, most of them are not naturally present in any food source and are synthesized in a
laboratory setting. How can consumers accept and consume foods that have been modified with so many
unnatural and unhealthy additives? Why are all of these additives put in foods when so many natural and
unmodified food sources already exist?
Some of the Additives Used in Food
1,4-heptono lactone - food acid
Lecithins - antioxidant. Emulsifier
2-hydroxybiphenyl - preservative
Lecithin citrate - preservative
Acesulfame potassium - artificial sweetener
Leucine - flavor enhancer
Acetic acid - acidity regulator
Lipases - flavor enhancer
Acetic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids - emulsifier
Lithol Rubine BK - color
Acetylated distarch adipate - thickener
Litholrubine - color
Acetylated distarch phosphate - thickener
L(+)-Tartaric acid - food acid
Acetylated oxidised starch - thickener
Lutein - color
Acetylated starch - thickener
Lycopene - color
Acid treated starch - thickener
Lysozyme - preservative
Agar - thickener, stabilizer, gelling agent
Magnesium carbonate - anti-caking agent, mineral salt
Alginic acid - thickener, stabilizer, gelling agent, emulsifier
Magnesium chloride - mineral salt
Alitame - artificial sweetener
Magnesium citrate - acidity regulator
Alkaline treated starch - thickener
Magnesium diglutamate - flavor enhancer
Allura red AC - color (FDA: FD&C Red #40)
Magnesium hydroxide - mineral salt
Aluminium - color (silver)
Magnesium lactate - food acid
Aluminium ammonium sulfate - mineral salt
Magnesium oxide - anti-caking agent
Aluminium potassium sulfate - mineral salt
Magnesium phosphates - mineral salt, anti -caking agent
Aluminium silicate - anti-caking agent
Magnesium salts of fatty acids - emulsifier, stabiliser,
Aluminium sodium sulfate - mineral salt
anti-caking agent
Aluminium sulfate - mineral salt
Magnesium silicate - anti-caking agent
Amaranth - color (red) (FDA: [DELISTED] Red #2) Note that amaranth
Magnesium stearate - emulsifier, stabiliser
dye is unrelated to the amaranth plant
Magnesium sulfate - mineral salt, acidity regulator,
Ammonium acetate - preservative, acidity regulator
firming agent
Ammonium adipates - acidity regulator
Malic acid - acidity regulator
Ammonium alginate - thicken, stabilizer, gelling agent, emulsifier
Maltitol - humectant, stabiliser
Ammonium bicarbonate - mineral salt
Maltodextrin - carbohydrate sweetener
Ammonium carbonate - mineral salt
Maltol - flavor enhancer
Ammonium chloride - mineral salt
Mannitol - humectant, anti-caking agent, sweetener
Ammonium ferric citrate - food acid
Metatartaric acid - food acid, emulsifier
Ammonium fumarate - food acid
Methyl butyrate - used as food flavoring
Ammonium hydroxide - mineral salt
Methyl ethyl cellulose - thickener, emulsifier
Ammonium lactate - food acid
Methylcellulose - thickener, emulsifier
Ammonium malate - food acid
Methylparaben (methyl para-hydroxybenzoate) -
Ammonium phosphates - mineral salt
preservative
Ammonium phosphatides - emulsifier
Microcrystalline cellulose - anti-caking agent
Ammonium polyphosphates - anti -caking agent
Mixed acetic and tartaric acid esters of mono- and
Ammonium sulfate - mineral salt, improving agent
diglycerides of fatty acids - emulsifier
Anthocyanins - color
Modified starch - also called starch derivatives, are
Argon - propellant
prepared by physically, enzymatically, or chemically
Ascorbyl palmitate - antioxidant (fat soluble)
treating native starch to change its properties
Ascorbyl stearate - antioxidant (fat soluble)
Mono- and diglycerides of Fatty acids - emulsifier
Aspartame - artificial sweetener
Monoammonium glutamate - flavor enhancer
Azodicarbonamide - flour bleaching agent. Also used in the production of
Monopotassium glutamate - flavor enhancer
foamed plastics and the manufacture of gaskets. Banned as a food additive
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) - flavor enhancer
in Australia and Europe.
Monostarch phosphate - thickener
Azorubine - color (red) (FDA: Ext D&C Red #10)
Montanic acid esters - humectant
Baking powder - leavening agent; includes acid and base
Natamycin - preservative
Baking soda - food base
Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone - artificial sweetener
Bentonite - anti-caking agent
Nisin - preservative
Benzoic acid - preservative
Nitrates - The use of nitrates in food preservation is
Benzoyl peroxide - flour treatment agent
controversial. This is due to the potential for the
Bergamot - in Earl Grey tea
formation of nitrosamines when nitrates are present in
Beta-apo-8'-carotenal (C 30) - color
high concentrations and the product is cooked at high
Beta-apo-8'-carotenic acid ethyl ester - color
temperatures. The effect is seen for red or processed
Betanin - color (red)
meat, but not for white meat or fish. The production of
Biphenyl - preservative
carcinogenic nitrosamines can be potently inhibited by
Bixin - color
the use of the antioxidants Vitamin C and the alpha-
Black 7984 - color (brown and black)
tocopherol form of Vitamin E during curing.
Black PN - color (brown and black)
Nitrogen - propellant
Bleached starch - thickener
Nitrous oxide - propellant
Bone phosphate - anti-caking agent
Norbixin - color
Borax - preservative
Octyl gallate - antioxidant
Boric acid - preservative
Orange GGN - color (orange)
Brilliant Black BN- color (brown and black)
Orcein - color (red)
Brilliant blue FCF - color (FDA: FD&C Blue #1)
Orchil - color (red)
Brilliant Scarlet 4R - color (FDA: Ext D&C Red #8)
Orthophenyl phenol - preservative
Brown FK - color (brown and black)
Patent blue V - color (blue)
Butane - propellant
Phosphated distarch phosphate - thickener
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) - antioxidant (fat soluble)
Phosphoric acid - food acid
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) - antioxidant (fat soluble)
Phytic acid - preservative
Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides - flavor enhancer
Pigment Rubine - color
Calcium acetate - preservative, acidity regulator
Poly vinyl pyrrolidone - used as a stabilizer
Calcium alginate - thickener, stabilizer, gelling agent, emulsifier
Polydextrose - humectant
Calcium ascorbate - antioxidant (water-soluble)
Polyethylene glycol 8000 - antifoaming agent
Calcium aluminosilicate (calcium aluminium silicate) - anti-caking agent
Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids - emulsifier
Calcium ascorbate (Vitamin C)
Polyglycerol polyricinoleate - emulsifier
Calcium benzoate - preservative
Polymethylsiloxane - antifoaming agent
Calcium bisulfite - preservative, antioxidant
Polyoxyethylene (40) stearate - emulsifier
Calcium carbonates - color (white), anticaking agent, stabiliser
Polyoxyethylene (8) stearate - emulsifier, stabilizer
Calcium chloride - mineral salt
Polyphosphates - mineral salt, emulsifier
Calcium citrates - food acid, finning agent
Polysorbate 20 - emulsifier
Calcium diglutamate - flavor enhancer
Polysorbate 40 - emulsifier
Calcium disodium EDTA - preservative
Polysorbate 60 - emulsifier
Calcium ferrocyanide - anti-caking agent
Polysorbate 65 - emulsifier
Calcium formate - preservative
Polysorbate 80 - emulsifier
Calcium fumarate - food acid
Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone - color stabiliser
Calcium gluconate - acidity regulator
Ponceau 4R - color (FDA: Ext D&C Red #8)
Calcium guanylate - flavor enhancer
Ponceau 6R - color
Calcium hydrogen sulfite - preservative, antioxidant
Ponceau SX - color
Calcium hydroxide - mineral salt
Potassium acetates - preservative, acidity regulator
Calcium inosinate - flavor enhancer
Potassium adipate - food acid
Calcium lactate - food acid
Potassium alginate - thickener, stabilizer, gelling agent,
Calcium lactobionate - stabilizer
emulsifier
Calcium malates - food acid
Potassium aluminium silicate - anti -caking agent
Calcium oxide - mineral salt
Potassium ascorbate - antioxidant (water-soluble)
Calcium peroxide - is used as flour bleaching agent and improving agent
Potassium benzoate - preservative
Calcium phosphates - mineral salt, anti-caking agent, firming agent
Potassium bicarbonate - mineral salt
Calcium polyphosphates - anti -caking agent
Potassium bisulfite - preservative, antioxidant
Calcium propionate - preservative
Potassium bromate - flour treatment agent
Calcium salts of fatty acids - emulsifier, stabiliser, anti-caking agent
Potassium carbonate - mineral salt
Calcium silicate - anti-caking agent
Potassium chloride - mineral salt
Calcium sorbate - preservative
Potassium citrates - food acid
Calcium stearoyl lactylate - emulsifier
Potassium ferrocyanide - anti-caking agent
Calcium sulfate - flour treatment agent, mineral salt, sequestrant.
Potassium fumarate - food acid
improving agent, firming agent
Potassium gluconate - stabiliser
Calcium sulfite - preservative, antioxidant
Potassium hydrogen sulfite - preservative, antioxidant
Calcium tartrate - food acid, emulsifier
Potassium hydroxide - mineral salt
Canthaxanthin - color
Potassium lactate - food acid
Capsanthin - color
Potassium malate - food acid
Capsorubin - color
Potassium metabisulfite - preservative, antioxidant
Caramel I (plain) - color (brown and black)
Potassium nitrate - preservative, color fixative
Caramel II (Caustic Sulfite process) - color (brown and black)
Potassium nitrite - preservative, color fixative
Caramel III (Ammonia process) - color (brown and black)
Potassium phosphates - mineral salt
Caramel IV (Ammonia sulfite process) - color (brown and black)
Potassium propionate - preservative
Carbamide - flour treatment agent
Potassium salts of fatty acids - emulsifier, stabiliser, anti-
Carbon black - color (brown and black)
caking agent
Carbon dioxide - acidity regulator, propellant
Potassium sodium tartrate - food acid
carmines - color (red)
Potassium sorbate - preservative
Carmoisine - color (red) (FDA: Ext D&C Red #10)
Potassium sulfate - mineral salt, seasoning
Carotenes - color
Potassium sulfite - preservative, antioxidant
Alpha-carotene - color
Potassium tartrates - food acid
Beta-carotene - color
Powdered Cellulose - anti-caking agent
Gamma-carotene - color
Propane- 1,2-diol alginate - thickener, stabilizer,
Chlorine dioxide - flour treatment agent
emulsifier
Chlorine - flour treatment agent
Propionic acid - preservative
Chlorophylls and Chlorophyllins - color (green)
Propyl gallate - antioxidant
Chocolate Brown HT - color
Propylene glycol - humectant
Choline salts and esters - emulsifier
Propylene glycol alginate - thickener, stabilizer.
Chrysoine resorcinol - color (red)
emulsifier
Citranaxanthin - color
Propylene glycol esters of fatty acids - emulsifier
Citric acid - food acid
Propylparaben (propyl para-hydroxybenzoate) -
Citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids - emulsifier
preservative
Citrus red 2 - color (red)
Pyridoxine hydrochloride - used as a vitamin B6 dietary
Cochineal - color (red)
supplement
Copper complexes of chlorophylls - color (green)
Quinoline Yellow WS - color (yellow and orange) (FDA:
Com syrup - thickener, a sweetener and as a humectant
D&C Yellow #10)
Crocetin - color
Red 2G - color
Crocin - color
Saccharin - artificial sweetener
Crosslinked Sodium carboxymethylcellulose - emulsifier
Scarlet GN - color
Cryptoxanthin - color
Shellac - glazing agent
Cupric sulfate - mineral salt
Silicon dioxide - anti-caking agent
Curcumin - color (yellow and orange)
Silver - metallic element used in food coloring
Cyclamates - artificial sweetener
Sodium acetate - preservative, acidity regulator
Cyclamic acid - artificial sweetener
Sodium adipate - food acid
beta-cyclodextrin - emulsifier
Sodium alginate - thickener, stabilizer, gelling agent,
Decanoic acid - used as artificial fruit flavoring
emulsifier
Dchydroacetic acid - preservative
Sodium aluminium phosphate - acidity regulator,
Dclta-tocopherol(synthetic) - antioxidant
emulsifier
Dextrin roasted starch - thickener
Sodium aluminosilicate (sodium aluminium silicate) -
Diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids -
anti-caking agent
emulsifier
Sodium ascorbate - antioxidant (water-soluble)
Dicalcium diphosphate - anti-caking agent
Sodium benzoate - preservative
Dilauryl thiodipropionate - antioxidant
Sodium bicarbonate - mineral salt
Dimethyl dicarbonate - preservative
Sodium bisulfite (sodium hydrogen sulfite) -
Dimethylpolysiloxane - emulsifier, anti-caking agent
preservative, antioxidant
Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate - emulsifier
Sodium carbonate - mineral salt
Diphenyl - preservative
Sodium carboxymethylcellulose - emulsifier
Diphosphates - mineral salt, emulsifier
Sodium citrates - food acid
Dipotassium guanylate - flavor enhancer
Sodium dehydroacetate - preservative
Dipotassium inosinate - flavor enhancer
Sodium erythorbate - antioxidant
Disodium 5'-ribonucleotides - flavor enhancer
Sodium erythorbin - antioxidant
Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate - antioxidant, preservative
Sodium ethyl para-hydroxybenzoate - preservative
Disodium guanylate - flavor enhancer
Sodium ferrocyanide - anti -caking agent
Disodium inosinate - flavor enhancer
Sodium formate - preservative
Distarch phosphate - thickener.
Sodium fumarate - food acid
Distearyl thiodipropionate - antioxidant
Sodium gluconate - stabiliser
Dl-alpha-tocopherol (synthetic) - antioxidant
Sodium hydrogen acetate - preservative, acidity
Dodecyl gallate - antioxidant
regulator
EDTA - Antioxidant, Chelating Agent
Sodium hydroxide - mineral salt
Enzymatically hydrolyzed Carboxymethyl cellulose - emulsifier
Sodium lactate - food acid
Enzyme treated starch - thickener
Sodium malates - food acid
Epazote (Chenopodium ambrosioides)
Sodium metabisulfite - preservative, antioxidant.
Epsom salts - mineral salt, acidity regulator, firming agent
bleaching agent
Erythorbin acid - antioxidant
Sodium methyl para-hydroxybenzoate - preservative
Erythrosine - color (red) (FDA: FD&C Red #3)
Sodium nitrate - preservative, color fixative
Erythritol - sweetener
Sodium nitrite - preservative, color fixative
Ethyl maltol - flavor enhancer
Sodium orthophenyl phenol - preservative
Ethyl methyl cellulose - thickener, emulsifier
Sodium propionate - preservative
Ethylparaben (ethyl para-hydroxybenzoate) - preservative
Sodium propyl para-hydroxybenzoate - preservative
Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid - preservative and stabilizer
Sodium sorbate - preservative
Fast green FCF - color (FDA: FD&C Green #3)
Sodium stearoyl lactylate - emulsifier
Flavoxanthin - color
Sodium succinates - acidity regulator, flavor enhancer
Ferric ammonium citrate - food acid
Sodium salts of fatty acids - emulsifier, stabiliser, anti-
Ferrous gluconate - color retention agent
caking agent
Formaldehyde - preservative
Sodium sulfite - mineral salt, preservative, antioxidant
Formic acid - preservative
Sodium sulfite - preservative, antioxidant
Fumaric acid - acidity regulator
Sodium tartrates - food acid
Gamma-tocopherol(synthetic) - antioxidant
Sodium tetraborate - preservative
Gelatin/gelatine - Gelling agent, emulsifier
Sorbic acid - preservative
Gellan gum - thickener, stabilizer, emulsifier
Sorbitan monolaurate - emulsifier
Glacial Acetic acid - preservative, acidity regulator
Sorbitan monooleate - emulsifier
Glucitol - AKA sorbitol sugar substitute most is made from corn syrup
Sorbitan monopalmitate - emulsifier
Gluconate - flavor enhancer
Sorbitan monostearate - emulsifier
Glucono delta-lactone - acidity regulator
Sorbitan tristearate - emulsifier
Glucose oxidase - antioxidant
Sorbitol - humectant, emulsifier, sugar substitute most is
Glucose syrup - sweetener
made from com syrup
Glutamate - acidity regulator
Starch sodium octenylsuccinate - thickener
Glutamic acid - flavor enhancer
Stearic acid - anti -caking agent
Glycerin - humectant, sweetener
Stearyl tartarate - emulsifier
Glycerol - a humectant, solvent, and sweetener
Succinic acid - food acid
Glyceryl distearate - emulsifier
Sucralose - artificial sweetener
Glyceryl monostearate - emulsifier
Sucroglycerides - emulsifier
Glycine - flavor enhancer
Sucrose acetate isobutyrate - emulsifier, stabiliser
Gold - metallic element used as a food color
Sucrose esters of fatty acids - emulsifier
Green S - color (green)
Sulfur dioxide - preservative, antioxidant
Guanylic acid - flavor enhancer
Sulfuric acid - acidity regulator
Gum arabic / Gum acacia / E414 - thickener, stabilizer, emulsifier
Sunset Yellow FCF - color (yellow and orange) (FDA:
Gum guaicum - preservative
FD&C Yellow #6)
Helium - propellant
Talc - anti-caking agent, once widely used in baby power
Hcptyl p-hydroxybenzoate - preservative
until it was implicated with ovarian cancers
Hcxamine (hexamethylene tetramine) - preservative
Tannins - color, emulsifier, stabiliser, thickener
Hexyl acetate - used as a flavoring agent
Tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty
High fructose corn syrup - used in most processed and unhealthy foods
acids - emulsifier
and especially in candy, sodas, and other junk foods, it is one of several
Tartrazine - color (yellow and orange) (FDA: FD&C
artificial sweetners that has replaced
Yellow #5)
the natural once widely consumed sucrose or table sugar.
Tert-butylhydroquinone - antioxidant
Hydrochloric acid - acidity regulator
Tetrahydrocannabinol- flavor enhancer, potent anti¬
Hydroxypropyl cellulose - thickener, emulsifier
carcinogen
Hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate - thickener
Thaumatin - flavor enhancer, artificial sweetener
Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose - thickener, emulsifier
Thiabendazole - preservative
Hydroxypropyl starch - thickener
Thiodipropionic acid - antioxidant
Indanthrene blue RS - color (blue)
Stannous chloride - color retention agent, antioxidant
Indigo carmine - color (blue) (FDA: FD&C Blue #2)
Titanium dioxide - color (white)
Indigotine - color (blue) (FDA: FD&C Blue #2
Triacetin - humectant
Inosinic acid - flavor enhancer
Triammonium citrate - food acid
Invert sugar - modified sugar additive similar to high fructose corn syrup.
Triethyl citrate - thickener, Triethyl citrate is also used as
Iron ammonium citrate - acidity regulator
a plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and similar
Iron oxides and hydroxides - color
plastics.
Isobutane - propellant
Triphosphates - mineral salt, emulsifier
Isomalt - humectant
sodium phosphates - Mineral Salt
Isopropyl citrates - antioxidant, preservative
Violaxanthin - color
L-cysteine - flour treatment agent
Xylitol - humectant, stabiliser
Lactic acid - acidity regulator, preservative, antioxidant
Yellow 2G - color (yellow and orange)
Lactic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids - emulsifier
Zeaxanthin - color
Lactitol - humectant
Zinc acetate - flavor enhancer
Lactylated fatty acid esters of glycerol and propylene glycol - emulsifier
SOURCE: Wikipedia (with some corrections, additions, and other edits)
To see the reality of the current food sources and the results of the mass scale consumption of meat and dairy
products which Homo sapiens are engaged in, while a government encourages this gluttonous behavior, one need
only watch the documentary films and news programs: ‘Earthlings ’ by: Shaun Monson 2005, ‘Our Daily Bread’
by: Nikolaus Geyrhalter 2005, ‘Fat Sick and Nearly Dead’ by: Joe Cross 2010, ‘Food Inc. ’ by: Robert Kenner
2008, Food Matters ’ by: James Colquhoun and Carlo Ledesma 2008, Forks Over Knives ’ by: Lee Fulkerson
2011, ‘Hungry for Change ’ by: Laurentine Ten Bosch and James Colquhoun 2012, ‘Supersize Me ’ by: Morgan
Spurlock 2004, ‘Veducated ’ by: Marisa Miller Wolfson 2011, 'The Future of Food' by: Deborah Koons Garcia
2004, ‘Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret ’ by: Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn 20 1 4, and the PBS Frontline
reports: ‘The Trouble with Chicken ’ May 12, 2015 and ‘The Trouble with Antibiotics ’ October 14, 2014, and
VICE season 4 episode 5 ‘Meathooked & End of Water ’. Or for a more in-depth analysis from an inside medical
perspective one can read ‘The China Study ’ 2006 by: Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell.
TABLE 2 2. Top 25 Sources of Calories Among Americans Ages 2 Years and Older,
NHANES 2005-2006*
Rank Overall, Ages 2+ yr*
(Mean keal/d; Total daily calories = 2,157)
Children and Adolescents, Ages 2*18 yrs
(Mean kcal/d; Total daily calories = 2,027)
Adults and Older Adults, Ages 19+ yrs
(Mean kcal/d; Total daily calories * 2,199)
1
Grain-based desserts'1 (138 kcal)
Grain-based desserts (138 kcal)
Grain-based desserts (138 kcal)
2
Yeast breads' (129 kcal)
Pizza (136 kcal)
Yeast breads (134 kcal)
3
Chicken and chicken mixed dishes*
(121 kcal)
Soda/energyAports drinks (118 kcal)
Chicken and chicken mixed dishes
(123 kcal)
4
Soda/energy/sports drinks* (114 kcal)
Yeast breads (114 kcal)
Soda/energyAports drinks (112 kcal)
s
Pizza (98 kcal)
Chicken and chicken mixed dishes
(113 kcal)
Alcoholic beverages (106 kcal)
6
Alcoholic beverages (82 kcal)
Pasta and pasta dishes (91 kcal)
Pizza (86 kcal)
7
Pasta and pasta dishes' (81 kcal)
Reduced fat milk (86 kcal)
Tortillas, burritos. tacos (85 kcal)
8
Tortillas, burritos. tacos* (80 kcal)
Dairy desserts (76 kcal)
Pasta and pasta dishes (78 kcal)
9
Beef and beef mixed dishes'1 (64 kcal)
Potato/corn/other chips (70 kcal)
Beef and beef mixed dishes (71 kcal)
10
Dairy desserts' (62 kcal)
Ready-to-eat cereals (65 kcal)
Dairy desserts (58 kcal)
11
Potato/com/tot her chips (56 kcal)
Tortillas, burritos. tacos (63 kcal)
Burgers (53 kcal)
12
Burgers (53 kcal)
Whole milk (60 kcal)
Regular cheese (51 kcal)
13
Reduced fat milk (51 kcal)
Candy (56 kcal)
Potato/com/other chips (51 kcal)
14
Regular cheese (49 kcal)
Fruit drinks (55 kcal)
Sausage, franks, bacon, and ribs
(49 kcal)
15
Ready-to-eat cereals (49 kcal)
Burgers (55 kcal)
Nuts/seeds and nut/seed mixed dishes
(47 kcal)
16
Sausage, franks, bacon, and ribs
(49 kcal)
Fried white potatoes (52 kcal)
Fried white potatoes (46 kcal)
17
Fried white potatoes (48 kcal)
Sausage, franks, bacon, and ribs
(47 kcal)
Ready-to-eat cereals (44 kcal)
18
Candy (47 kcal)
Regular cheese (43 kcal)
Candy (44 kcal)
19
Nuts/seeds and nut/seed mixed
dishes' (42 kcal)
Beef and beef mixed dishes (43 kcal)
Eggs and egg mixed dishes (42 kcal)
20
Eggs and egg mixed dishes1 (39 kcal)
100% fruit juice, not orange/grapefruit
(35 kcal)
Rice and rice mixed dishes (41 kcal)
21
Rice and rice mixed dishes' (36 kcal)
Eggs and egg mixed dishes (30 kcal)
Reduced fat milk (39 kcal)
22
Fruit drinks'" (36 kcal)
Pancakes, waffles, and French toast
(29 kcal)
Quickbreads (36 kcal)
23
Whole milk (33 kcal)
Crackers (28 kcal)
Other fish and fish mixed dishes*
(30 kcal)
24
Quickbreads" (32 kcal)
Nuts/seeds and nutAeed mixed dishes
(27 kcal)
Fruit drinks (29 kcal)
25
Cold cuts (27 kcal)
Cold cuts (24 kcal)
Salad dressing (29 kcal)
- - - 1 - - \
SOURCE: USD A - Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 - https://licalth.gov/dictarvgiiidclincs/dga2010/DictarvGuidclines2010.pdf
What does it mean when the number 1 and 1 0 calorie sources for American adults are deserts, and the number 6
source is alcohol, not a food but a poison, while the vast majority of the other sources are unhealthy processed
foods, and not one natural healthy fruit- or vegetable-based item? Is there any wonder that Americans are going
through an obesity epidemic and have other chronic health issues? Why is the number 6 calorie source alcohol,
are they stressed, angry, or depressed and attempting to silence a pain with something that gives them temporary
relief? Are they addicted to indulgence? Are they following the patterns of behavior set for them by portions of
the entertainment industry, friends, parents, or other mentors? Why are all these unhealthy food products being
consumed in such vast quantities? Could it have to do with them being more prevalent at most restaurants and
grocery stores? Could it be that these products are what is marketed to consumers by the food companies and
even recommended by pseudo experts of nutrition that create the recommended daily allowances (RDAs) which
so many consumers follow? Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., a former panel member, explains in detail how the
Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) has turned the RDAs into a corrupt and unreliable system with devastating
consequences,
“The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), as part of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, has
the responsibility every five years or so to review and update the recommended consumption of individual nutrients. The
FNB has been making nutrient recommendations since 1943 when it established a plan for the U.S. Armed Forces wherein it
recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for each individual nutrient”
“The second panel member, a long-time friend and colleague, was a subcommittee chair during the latter part of the panel's
existence. He is not a nutritional scientist and also was surprised to hear my concerns about the upper limit for protein. He did
not recall much discussion on the topic either. When I reminded him of some of the evidence linking high-animal protein
diets to chronic disease, he initially was a little defensive. But with a little more persistence on my part about the evidence, he
finally said, “Colin, you know that I really don't know anything about nutrition.” How then was he a member-let alone the
chair-of this important subcommittee? And it gets worse. The chair of the standing committee on the evaluation of these
recommendations left the panel shortly before its completion for a senior executive position in a very large food company-a
company that will salivate over these new recommendations.”
“Almost all of the wide-ranging effects of this 2002 FNB report will be profoundly harmful. In school, our children can be fed more
fat, more meat, more milk, more animal protein and more sugar. They will also learn that this food is consistent with good health.
The ramifications of this are serious, as a whole generation will walk the path of obesity, diabetes and other chronic illnesses, all the
while believing that they are doing the right thing.” (109)
For many westerners, their food source is that of fast food which is often marketed as delicious, healthy, and
inexpensive, but it is in fact highly processed, mass produced, very unhealthy, and expensive. Although there is
‘Smoothie King ’ founded in 1 973 and ‘Veggie Grill ’ established in 2006, there are no mainstream fast food
chains which base their menu solely around healthy fresh plant -based ingredients, instead menu items use mainly
fauna-based ingredients. And although there are a few vegan options when eating at some of the smaller
restaurants and fast food chains which specialize in cultural and regional cuisines, perhaps one day there will be
more ’Veganurants ’ or even more vegan options on mainstream fast food menus. In the United States, there are
131 ,624 mainstream fast food chain locations in addition to the thousands of smaller chains or independent
knock-offs, and globally locations are increasing rapidly. For instance, McDonald’s had 2,500 China locations in
2017 and recently announced that by the end of 2022 they expect to increase the number to 4,500 restaurants.
(481) It should also be noted, that in addition, there are 4,130 fast food trucks (127) and 154,195 convenient stores
(125) which also operate in the United States, most of which offer some type of fast food either precooked or
microwavable, and is usually even more unhealthy than their fast food restaurant counterparts. There are also
thousands of vending machines which mainly offer unhealthy food and drink items for an exorbitant price.
U.S. Fast Food Franchises
Franchise
Worldwide Locations in 2017
Subway
44,818
McDonald’s
36,525
Starbucks
23,768
RFC Corp.
19,420
Burger King
15,000
Pizza Hut Inc.
13,728
Dunkin' Donuts
11,000
Dominos Pizza
8,200
Wendy’s
6,490
Taco Bell
6,407
Hardee's
5,812
Dairy Queen
4,800
Papa John’s
4,700
Sonic
3,526
Arby’s
3,342
Jack in the Box
2,200
Popeyes
2,000
Jimmy Johns Gourmet Sandwiches
1,954
A&W
1,200
Krispy Kreme
1,003
Bojangles’
600
SOURCE: Wikipedia (with some corrections, additions, and other edits)
Biotechnological Food
Some of the methods being practiced to modify agricultural crops resulting in increased yields, resistance to
pestilence, and to adjust for climate conditions are: genetic modification, inter-species crossing, marker-assisted
selection, mutation breeding, or traditional breeding. Some are under the impression that modifying the food
sources themselves with technology will solve the health issues which are being created from an unhealthy diet.
Instead of working with nature these methods in fact work against it, and the solution to many of the problems
that are trying to be corrected are easily found in simple dietary changes, and not changing the foods themselves.
In 2014, sales of products labeled as non-genetically modified organisms (non-GMO) grew 30% to more than
$1,100,000,000, (42) an increase which may be a result of the public's non-acceptance of GMO products. There
seems to be a general negative consensus and fear towards genetically modified foods from most of the public,
but ironically most Homo sapiens have been unknowingly consuming some type of modified food for the last 50
years, either modified through genetics or through the use of fertilizers and pesticides. In 2017, the USDA
estimated that 94% of soybeans are genetically modified to be herbicide-tolerant (HT), and 89% of domestic
com are also produced with HT seeds. As of 2015, more than 81% of domestic com has also been genetically
modified to contain genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. (575) After an outbreak of papaya
ringspot vims in the early 1990s, a genetically modified papaya was created to resist the virus, today more than
80% of Hawaiian papaya is genetically modified. (691) So why is the public so unwilling to accept GM Foods?
The Institute of Medicine and National Research Council in 2004 stated,
"Adverse health effects from genetic engineering have not been documented in the human population, but the technique is
new and concerns about its safety remain.” (41 )
Could a negative side-effect from genetic modification directly affect Homo sapiens health in the future? How
will the susceptibility to genetic erosion or genetic homogeneity affect GM food crops over time? Is there a real
need to modify food crops in the first place? Could all the food needed for consumption be grown with the tools
of nature and in a more organic natural manner without all the synthetic unnatural pesticides, fertilizers,
additives, homiones, antibiotics, or genetic modifications? Could these added homiones be causing precocious
puberty in some Homo sapiens ? In the October 2014 National Geographic Magazine Tim Folger reported that,
"First released in the 1990s, they’ve been adopted by 28 countries and planted on 1 1 percent of the world’s arable land,
including half the cropland in the U.S. About 90 percent of the com, cotton, and soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically
modified. Americans have been eating GM products for nearly two decades. But in Europe and much of Africa, debates over
the safety and environmental effects of GM crops have largely blocked their use."
Proponents like Fraley say such crops have prevented billions of dollars in losses in the U.S. alone and have actually benefited
the environment. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that pesticide use on corn crops has dropped 90
percent since the introduction of Bt corn, which contains genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis that help it ward off
corn borers and other pests. Reports from China indicate that harmful aphids have decreased — and ladybugs and other
beneficial insects have increased — in provinces where GM cotton has been planted."
"The particular GM crops Fraley pioneered at Monsanto have been profitable for the company and many farmers, but have
not helped sell the cause of high-tech agriculture to the public. Monsanto’s Roundup Ready crops are genetically modified to
be immune to the herbicide Roundup, which Monsanto also manufactures. That means farmers can spray the herbicide freely
to eliminate weeds without damaging their GM com, cotton, or soybeans. Their contract with Monsanto does not allow them
to save seeds for planting; they must purchase its patented seeds each year.
Modem agriculture, they say, already relies too heavily on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Not only are they unaffordable
for a small farmer like Juma; they pollute land, water, and air. Synthetic fertilizers are manufactured using fossil fuels, and
they themselves emit potent greenhouse gases when they’re applied to fields."
“The choice is clear,” says Hans Herren, another World Food Prize laureate and the director of Biovision, a Swiss nonprofit.
“We need a farming system that is much more mindful of the landscape and ecological resources. We need to change the
paradigm of the green revolution. Heavy-input agriculture has no future — we need something different.” There are ways to
deter pests and increase yields, he thinks, that are more suitable for the Jumas of this world."
A GM crop is by no means the fix all answer to food pestilence, a growing population, or climate conditions, the
technology is still susceptible to evolution and the other processes, forces, and laws of nature. Already com
rootworms have evolved resistance to the bacterial toxins in GM Bt com. In the May 2015 National Geographic
Magazine Rachel Hartigan Shea reported that,
“Using a technique called RNA interference (RNAi), scientists have silenced genes that lead potatoes to biuise and to brown
when exposed to air — the two characteristics that land roughly 30 percent of harvested potatoes in the trash. These new spuds
also contain up to 70 percent less of an amino acid that transforms into a cancer- causing compound at high temperatures. A
second version will be resistant to late blight, the disease that caused the Irish potato famine.”
AquAdvantage salmon, the first genetically modified salmon was deemed safe for consumption in 20 1 0 and will
be available as soon as labeling guidelines from the FDA have been mandated. And in 2006, Hematech, Inc.
announced it had used genetic engineering and cloning technology to produce cattle that lacked a necessary gene
for prion production, theoretically making them immune to Mad Cow Disease which has resulted in the deaths of
millions of cattle worldwide. Is it acceptable to use science techniques to modify food in such ways? One can see
many benefits, but will consumers accept a food that has been altered in such a way? Could GMOs have adverse
side effects on natural unmodified florae and faunae? Wouldn’t a simpler solution be to not fry potatoes and not
worry so much about aesthetics? Does the onion really need to be genetically modify so that Homo sapiens eyes
don't water when they are cut? Must companies resort to genetically engineering wheat and rice to resemble
seaweed in order to grow on soil that has been overtaxed and become saline? Can we not maintain the soils with
natural husbandry techniques, and instead grow a natural unmodified food crop? Would it not be wiser for Homo
sapiens to alter their lifestyles and mentalities, rather than modifying the food sources to suit a negative lifestyle
and mentality?
Is all this modification of nature necessary, or could the solution to the agricultural dilemma be to simply better
understand and work with nature allowing the natural processes, forces, and laws of nature to help, instead of
working hopelessly against it? Many Homo sapiens tend to forget that nature does things far better than Homo
sapiens do, and in fact some things that Homo sapiens have perfected technologically have been based on some
natural design. Continuing to work against nature in the future could result in a cycle of similar problems the
agricultural industry is encountering today. Nature has far more experience than Homo sapiens and has been
using evolution along with other processes, forces, and laws to create perfect food for every living creature on
Earth for billions of years, and this system works in perfect harmony if left alone. Would Homo sapiens not be
wiser to use this experience to their advantage and follow the example set by nature instead of trying to reinvent
and attempt to control nature?
Meat, Dairy, and Egg Consumption
Some paleobiologist and paleoanthropologist have postulated that eating meat led to the development of the
human brain, and that without eating meat humans would not be as intelligent as they are today. This view is
used by some proponents who advocate eating meat based on the erroneous belief that Homo sapiens must
consume a diet of 50% or more of meat, and that if Homo sapiens stop eating meat they will become less
intelligent. In the September 2014 issue of National Geographic Magazine paleobiologist Amanda Henry said,
“There’s been a consistent story about hunting defining us and that meat made us human, frankly, I think that misses half of
the story. They want meat, sure. But what they actually live on is plant foods.”
Furthermore, in the same National Geographic Magazine when describing modem day indigenous Homo sapiens
Ann Gibbons said.
"The Hadza get almost 70 percent of their calories from plants. The Kung traditionally rely on tubers and mongongo nuts, the
Aka and Baka Pygmies of the Congo River Basin on yams, the Tsimane and Yanomami Indians of the Amazon on plantains
and manioc, the Australian Aboriginals on nut grass and water chestnuts.”
And although salmon, deer, seafood, and other wild game were eaten by the indigenous which inhabited
California, their diet consisted of many flora species and even some insects, grubs, and womis. Theodora
Kroeber in describing the California indigenous diet writes,
“The great staple food of the California Indian was acorn flour made into mush or bread. The acorn, of which some half dozen
or more edible varieties were recognized, meant to Indians what rice means to Cantonese Chinese, or maize to
Mexicans. ..Pine nuts, hazel nuts, buckeye, manzanita berries, wild raspberry, huckleberry, plum, grape, elderberry, barberry,
and thimbleberry were enjoyed in season, and some of them were dried and stored. There were sage and tarweed and clarkia
seeds, and a host of other seeds small and large and, in season, the earth -oven roasted roots of the camas, annis, tiger lily, and
brodiaea were a welcome addition. Certain grubs and wonns were roasted as delicacies; also grasshoppers as in modem
Mexico.” (96)
Even more prolific is the erroneous mainstream belief that consuming meat and dairy products are healthy, and
that one will be bigger and stronger by consuming them. Some use the excuse that Homo erectus began hunting
around 1,800,000 years ago, and even Homo sapiens themselves have been consuming meat for more than
200,000 years, but again modern-day Homo sapiens have far more knowledge and alternatives their primitive
ancestors didn’t have. Others justify consuming faunae in that there are other predator species in the wild which
hunt, kill, and consume other fauna species. Yes, there are predators in nature which hunt and eat other species,
and yes this keeps a balance, but there is far more coexistence in nature which is not focused on. To use this to
justify eating faunae is irrational, as Homo sapiens have far more intelligence than a lion and have a choice at
this point in their evolution, whereas a lion has evolved this way and has no choice. If one compares the physical
features of Homo sapiens with carnivores, they can easily see that Homo sapiens do not have fangs or claws for
killing and ripping apart flesh, but in fact have the exact opposite with teeth and hands made for harvesting and
consuming florae. Homo sapiens can’t digest raw meat like carnivores do, as it contains disease-carrying
pathogens which will make Homo sapiens extremely ill and can even cause death. Homo sapiens do not have the
same digestive system as carnivores do, and in fact have a longer intestine which is a trait found in herbivores. If
one also looks at other predators and most all other faunae, they do not suffer from medical issues as a result of
consuming meat, medical issues which are prevalent only in Homo sapiens, (e.g. obesity, diabetes, high blood
pressure, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, strokes, various cancers, etc.) Homo sapiens are not
predators, and without tools to hunt with and fire to cook, meat is not naturally feasible to acquire and consume.
Florae are the exact opposite in that it is easily obtainable, and almost always edible in its raw form. The vast
majority of Earth's fauna species are vegan and most of the carnivorous species are not predators, they are in fact
scavengers and do not kill anything, but rather wait until it dies naturally and then consume the carrion. They are
really doing nothing more than cleaning the Earth of its inevitable victims of death.
As most anyone will attest to, fresh food is always not only more tasting, but also more nutritional. Most meat is
several months old by the time it even reaches the consumer, and dairy and eggs are also not fresh. Meat, dairy,
and eggs all require refrigeration because they spoil very rapidly, and in addition, eggs and meat must also be
cooked at very high temperatures in order to kill disease-carrying pathogens and consume it safely. What does
this say about the natural edibility of these products for Homo sapiens ? The majority of Homo sapiens around
the world today do not eat vast quantities of meat from cows, chickens, or pigs as it is not readily available, or
they are too poor to afford it, when and if they do consume meat it is on rare occasions and in very small
quantities. In most parts of India, the cow is in fact sacred and not eaten. A 2003 report by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations report stated,
“The second major factor limiting the growth of world meat consumption is the fact that such consumption is heavily and
disproportionately concentrated in the industrial countries. They account for 15 percent of world population but for 37 percent
of world meat consumption and 40 percent of that of milk.” ( 1 3 1 )
Vegetarianism is nothing more than the erroneous notion that by not killing and eating faunae it somehow
justifies the continual exploitation of faunae through the consumption of eggs and dairy. How can vegetarians
proclaim their love of faunae and advocate for fauna rights while still exploiting the fauna for either their milk,
eggs, feathers, skins, or labor? From the easily visible negative impact on consumer health and the environment,
in conjunction with a basic set of morals toward other sentient faunae, one would think that vegan logic would
prevail in the carnivore argument. Homo sapiens can sustain life without faunae as a source of food, so why
don't they? Have most Homo sapiens simply not developed enough intellectually and morally to see how
illogical it is to dominate, exploit, and consume faunae?
SOURCE: USDA - photos K3839-3 and K3627-16 by: Keith Weller and photo K7623-1 by: Scott Bauer. Which picture looks not only
more appetizing but takes less effort to prepare and consume? Which pictures feels pain, stress, and other emotions?
The meat, egg, and dairy industry along with omnivorous consumers have proliferated on a global scale the
spread of disease, environmental destruction, and the abuse and slaughter of billions of cows, chickens, goats,
bison, snakes, sharks, whales, birds, and other faunae all in the name of tradition and profits. Perhaps if Homo
sapiens would inquire more about their meat sources they could see the brutality and inhumane treatment their
commercial meat sources endure daily on a mass scale. Some of the things Homo sapiens consume are beyond
comprehension when one looks at the natural intentions of the product, (e.g. milk, eggs, flesh, feet, snouts,
spleens, tongues, lips, and a wide range of animal organs such as hearts, livers, brains, etc.) Isaac Singer wrote,
"As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he always had the same thought: in their behavior
toward creatures, all men were Nazis. The smugness with which man could do with other species as he pleased exemplified
the most extreme racist theories, the principle that might is right." (612)
Although there is insufficient scientific evidence to prove a cause-and-effect relationship between probiotics and
any health benefits, companies still market them as such which ultimately results in many consumers being
misled into consuming them unnecessarily. In addition, because of vast marketing campaigns by the dairy
industry, many Homo sapiens have the false notion that you must eat probiotic rich dairy foods to maintain
health and must also drink milk to get vitamin D to maintain healthy bones. Probiotics are added to products like
yogurt in attempt to promote more of a healthy product, and most buy into this marketing scheme not realize that
yeast obtained by when eating naturally baked goods is sufficient. “ Milk does the body good” and “Got Milk? ”
are some of the most famous tag-lines, and the dairy industry has even used celebrities to market milk and other
dairy products as healthy and as the best source for vitamin D and calcium. But it does not do the body good and
in fact it is very harmful, while there are other far more healthier sources to obtain vitamin D and calcium. Few
know or even realize that vitamin D is not a vitamin that needs to be consumed and in fact around 1 hour of
sunlight exposure per week will allow Homo sapiens bodies to make all that it needs internally, no milk or dairy
is needed, just natural sunshine.
In addition, the majority of adults in the world produce low levels of lactase and are not naturally capable of
digesting dairy products. The lactase enzyme is present in all children, but as they stop breast feeding there is no
reason for the enzyme and it weakens unless the child is forced to consume dairy products. The majority of
adults with high levels of lactase are from regions in the world like Europe and American with a history of
raising dairy animals. 75% of all African-Americans and Native -Americans as well as 90% of all Asian-
Americans are lactose intolerant. (219) So logically speaking from an evolutionary standpoint Homo sapiens are
not designed to digest milk for their entire lifespan, only for the early initial development stage, and with
breastmilk, not cow’s milk. While Americans now drink 37% less milk than in 1970, (347) China, a previously
non-dairy consuming nation, has quickly become a new consumer market for milk in recent years increasing the
global milk demand.
There are far healthier alternative flora-based milk sources available derived from almonds, soy, rice, oat,
quinoa, hemp, coconuts, and other florae which are cholesterol free and contain even more vitamins and
minerals than fauna based dairy products. They are all natural and produce a much smaller carbon footprint
during the manufacturing process than milk which comes from cows or other faunae. In addition, almonds, soy,
rice, oat, quinoa, hemp, coconuts, and other florae contain less fat and are more nutritional and healthier.
Almond, soy, rice, oat, quinoa, hemp, coconut, and other flora-based milks also do not spoil as quickly and thus
can be consumed over a longer period. Ironically, high dairy consumption has been linked to higher rates of
osteoporosis and not lower, and yet the dairy industry has marketed the idea that mass milk consumption leads to
stronger bones. This erroneous claim can be seen in the scientific evidence that the consumption of fauna protein
creates metabolic acidosis, as a defense mechanism the body uses calcium in the bones to neutralize the
metabolic acidosis, resulting in osteoporosis. Changing the consumption of regular whole dairy products to low
fat or even non-fat dairy products does not have any results on this condition.
Unfortunately for faunae, the health of the Homo sapiens who consume them, and the Earth that bears the scars
from the livestock industry, meat and dairy consumption is on the rise, especially the meat of chickens. American
meat consumers are consuming less red meat, appearing to have learned a valuable nutritional lesson in recent
decades about the fatal side effects of beef consumption in gluttonous amounts. Unfortunately for consumers,
and like so many other industries in recent times, corporations have consolidated smaller operations and created
a monopoly over the meat supply. In the November 2014, National Geographic Magazine Robert Kunzig
reported that,
"In 1976 per capita beef consumption peaked in the United States at 91.5 pounds a year. It has since fallen more than 40
percent. Last year Americans ate on average 54 pounds of beef each, about the same amount as a century ago. Instead we eat
twice as much chicken as we did in 1976 and nearly six times as much as a century ago.
...today 82 percent of U.S. beef passes through plants that process thousands of cattle a day and are owned by just four
corporations."
Worldwide, billions of cows, chickens, and pigs are consumed each year, and although there are no complete
worldwide statistics available as to exactly how many have been consumed in just the last 100 years, one can get
a general idea of how enormous the scale is in which these faunae are being consumed globally. During 2015 in
the United States alone, 28,800,000 cows, 452,600 calves, 115,400,000 pigs, 2,220,000 sheep and lambs,
8,822,695,000 chickens, 232,398,000 turkeys, and 27,749,000 ducks (132) (133) (134) were federally inspected and
slaughtered for consumption. Globally more than 1,200,000,000,000 eggs were produced for consumption in
2014. (475) In 2013, the worldwide production of milk was 275,302,000,000 gallons. (188) It should also be
factored in that millions of individuals worldwide also maintain livestock for personal consumption and
exploitation, and these faunae are not federally inspected nor included in any statistical data.
Figure 8
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
■ China ■ EU-27 ■ United States ■ Brazil ■ Other
Source, USDA, FAS, Production, Supply, and Distribution database (accessed October 28, 2013).
Global pork production, 2008-13 (thousand metric tons, carcass-weight equivalent)
FIGURE 8 Global production of poultry meat was highly concentrated in 2006-12
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
« EU-27 ■ China a Brazil h United States * Rest of World
Source USDA, FAS, PSD Online database, (accessed August 20, 2013).
Beef and Veal Selected Countries Summary
1,000 Metric Tons (Carcass Weight Equivalent)
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2016
Oct
ADr
Production
Brazil
9,307
9,675
9,723
9,425
9,600
9,620
European Union
7,708
7,388
7,443
7,670
7,560
7,680
China
6,623
6,730
6,890
6,700
6,785
6,785
India
3,491
3,800
4,100
4,100
4,500
4,300
Argentina
2,620
2,850
2,700
2,740
2,680
2,680
Australia
2,152
2,359
2,595
2,547
2,300
2,180
Mexico
1,821
1,807
1,827
1,850
1,865
1,865
Pakistan
1,587
1,630
1,675
1,725
1,775
1,775
Russia
1,380
1,380
1,370
1,355
1,300
1,310
Canada
1,060
1,049
1,099
1,050
975
1,065
Others
8,940
9,063
9,232
8,412
8,467
8,413
Total Foreign
46,689
47,731
48,654
47,574
47,807
47,673
United States
11,848
11,751
11,076
10,815
11,389
11,328
Total
58,537
59,482
59,730
58,389
59,196
59,001
SOURCE: United States International Trade Commission and United States Department of Agriculture
In the May 2014 issue of National Geographic Magazine, Jonathan Foley stated,
“Agriculture is among the greatest contributors to global warming, emitting more greenhouse gases than all our cars, trucks,
trains, and airplanes combined — largely from methane released by cattle and rice farms, nitrous oxide from fertilized fields,
and carbon dioxide from the cutting of rain forests to grow crops or raise livestock.
The spread of prosperity across the world, especially in China and India, is driving an increased demand for meat, eggs, and
dairy, boosting pressure to grow more com and soybeans to feed more cattle, pigs, and chickens. If these trends continue, the
double whammy of population growth and richer diets will require us to roughly double the amount of crops we grow by
2050.”
If eating meat causes more environmental damage than driving an oil powered automobile, would not the most
logical action be to encourage more individuals to consume less meat and not more? Will this proliferation of
meat eating offset the positive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from other sources? How long will it take
developing countries to realize the devastating health and environmental consequences of this new deadly diet?
What if western civilizations had taken a more vegan path, would the developing countries be following this
example instead? Does eating faunae really symbolize that a civilization is modem, powerful, wealthy, and
prosperous? Why do so many oppose harming faunae, and yet eat them? Will morbid carnivorous symbols ever
end, like the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation which pardons one turkey while millions of other
turkeys are consumed?
Faunae produce an enormous amount of feces during the entire livestock process and consume vast amounts of
water. Around 90% of fresh water consumed on the planet by Homo sapiens is for agricultural and livestock
purposes, with livestock consuming larger volumes of water than flora crops. The amount of water consumption
when producing meat and dairy products is enormous when compared with the water footprint to produce fruits
and vegetables. Livestock consume vast quantities of water during the growth phase in addition to the water used
during the processing and even consumption phases.
Average Water Consumption for Meat and Dairy Production
Meat / Dairy Product
Gallons of Water Required
2.2 lbs of Pork
1,582
2.2 lbs of Beef
4,068
2.2 lbs of Cheese
1,336
2.2 lbs of Chicken
1,143
12 Chicken Eggs
636
2.2 Gallons of Cow’s Milk
269
2.2 lbs of Leather from a Cow
4,490
Average Water Consumption for Fruit and Vegetable Production
Fruit / Vegetable Product
Gallons of Water Required
2.2 lbs of Tomatoes
57
2.2 lbs of Apples
217
2.2 lbs of Bananas
208
2.2 lbs of Cucumbers
93
2.2 lbs of Lettuce
62
2.2 lbs of Corn
322
2.2 lbs of Mangos
475
2.2 lbs of Oranges
147
2.2 lbs of Peaches
240
2.2 lbs of Potatoes
76
SOURCE: Water Footprint Network - Product Water Footprint - http://www.waterfootprint.org/
Furthermore, a large portion of the food grown is used to feed meat-based food sources which produce far less
calories than the actual food being consumed to create the meat. It is an endless negative cycle of using valuable
resources to produce very unhealthy food products. In the May 2014 issue of National Geographic Magazine
Jonathan Foley stated,
“It would be far easier to feed nine billion people by 2050 if more of the crops we grew ended up in human stomachs. Today
only 55 percent of the world’s crop calories feed people directly; the rest are fed to livestock (about 36 percent) or turned into
biofuels and industrial products (roughly 9 percent). Though many of us consume meat, dairy, and eggs from animals raised
on feedlots, only a fraction of the calories in feed given to livestock make their way into the meat and milk that we consume.
For every 100 calories of grain we feed animals, we get only about 40 new calories of milk, 22 calories of eggs, 12 of
chicken, 10 of pork, or 3 of beef.”
Among all the faunae that are raised under cruel conditions and get brutally slaughtered and gutted to be shipped
around the world for consumption, the chicken is being consumed in the greatest numbers. According to the
October 2014 National Geographic Magazine, the United States exported 2,700,000 tons of unconsumed chicken
parts, (e.g. the wings, feathers, leg quarters, viscera, and feet) to the countries of China, Indonesia, South Africa,
and Russia. The wretched conditions of confinement that most livestock faunae are exposed to is one of the most
inhumane practices that Homo sapiens continuously do with government regulators and an omnivorous eating
public cynically ignoring the issue. Most consumers are not even aware of the barbaric practices with which the
livestock industry handles their food sources. Flow could one eat meat once they witness the livestock industrial
machine? Is not the logical solution to stop using nutritional flora food sources to create other less healthy meat-
based food and an unneeded biofuel energy source, and instead simply consume these or other flora-based
sources which are naturally nutritional foods and utilize the clean energy of the Sun and wind?
Do most consumers even know where the meat they’re consuming originated from and how old it truly is? In
June 2015, Chinese authorities seized more than 100,000 tonnes of smuggled meat, some of which was more
than 40 years old. (340) And in March 2017, more than 1,000 Federal Police of Brazil, the world’s largest red
meat exporter, launched ‘Operation Came Fraca ’ raiding 194 meat production facilities of 30 meat companies.
The Brazilian meat companies were accused of bribing meat inspectors, exporting rotten meat, using acid and
other sometimes carcinogenic chemicals to mask the smell of the rotten meat, altering dates of meat expiration,
and of adding potato, water, and even cardboard to chicken meat in an effort to increase profits. (341) To
maintain the appetizing bright red color and prevent rapid spoilage in most ground beef, beef loin steaks, and
pork chops, the meat is packaged in a modified atmosphere using carbon monoxide, nitrogen, oxygen, and high
carbon dioxide. (451) In order to kill any bacteria like salmonella, many chickens around the world are rinsed or
dipped in an antimicrobial solution of chlorine dioxide, acidified sodium chlorite, trisodium phosphate, and
peroxyacids. (528) What does this say about a food source which uses chemicals to maintain an appetizing color,
prolong the shelf life, or eliminate deadly bacteria? If meat was allowed to turn the natural color as it is rotting
waiting to be purchased, would there be less meat consumption?
It should also be noted that in addition to the mainstream western faunae, (e.g. cows, chickens, pigs, etc.) being
consumed there are also millions of donkeys, camels, pigeons, goats, ducks, sheep, snakes, turtles, civets, dogs,
cats, rabbits, rats, monkeys, guinea pigs, and other faunae which are slaughtered and sold every day at live
animal markets throughout China and in other world food markets for local consumption. Insects are also
consumed by many around the world as they cost far less to cultivate, are very nutritional, and have less
environmental impact producing less greenhouse gases and requiring less land use. The September 2014
National Geographic Magazine stated that,
“2 billion people consume more than 2,000 different species of insects worldwide, but this is declining as more people
convert to a western diet. The percent of protein and fat in crickets is similar to that of most meats.”
Or perhaps meat of the future will be grown in a factory and not involve actual faunae at all. In 2013, scientists
made a hamburger from muscle fibers which were grown from cow stem cells. (215) And in 2016 a company
called Perfect Day unveiled that they had created milk using yeast, cow DNA, and plant nutrients. (216) Will the
health risks of eating meat and dairy still be ignored even if the moral and environmental concerns are
alleviated?
In 2010, 32 diseases caused an estimated 600,000,000 foodbome illnesses cases and 420,000 deaths worldwide.
More than 90% of human exposure to dioxins is through food, mainly meat, dairy, fish, and shellfish. (529) Could
many of these deaths be easily prevented by simply not consuming meat and daily products? Alpha-gal allergy is
a recently discovered mammalian meat allergy which is caused by certain tick bites. A similar self-inflicted
medical condition known as Pork-Cat syndrome was first described in 1994, where some cat owners became
allergic to pork after being exposed to cats. Could these emerging medical conditions be nature’s evolutionary
reaction to Homo sapiens mass meat consumption? If more Homo sapiens developed a meat allergy would this
lead to less meat consumption, or would another medication simply be developed to alleviate the allergy in order
to continue meat consumption?
Faunae are also exploited in other ways by Homo sapiens to obtain some other foods as well. Tens of thousands
of Asian palm civets are exploited daily for their feces in order to create kopi luwak, a coffee which is made with
the partially digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet. Homo sapiens have been
exploiting bees for their honey and beeswax for more than 8,000 years. In 1961 the world had 49,173,473
beehives, by 2016 this number increased to 90,564,654 beehives. (698) If each hive contains an average of 30,000
bees, this would total more than 2,716,939,620,000 bees being exploited every year for their honey. In addition
to the stress which bees undergo, some bees are injured or killed from beekeepers haphazardly handling them
when harvesting the honey. Some beekeepers also permanently maim the queen bee by clipping away part of her
wings with the erroneous notion that this will keep the colony form swarming. Couldn't maple syrup, molasses,
coconut nectar, agave nectar, or another flower nectar be used instead? If every consumer had to collect the
honey from the hive without protective gear, a bee smoker, or other technology how much less honey would be
eaten? Could colony collapse disorder (CCD) have been aggravated from this exploitation?
There will most likely always be omnivorous Homo sapiens so long as the unwitting new generations are taught
to eat meat by an older generation of omnivores, and while this type of diet is also encouraged by food
corporations and even the government itself which is being vastly influenced by these same food corporations.
Why do most Homo sapiens feel compassion towards some sentient beings their ancestors once exploited or
extirpated (e.g. whales, buffalo, wolves, bears, etc.) and then deem others ok to continuously exploit? (e.g. pigs,
cows, chickens, etc.) If Homo sapiens had to see the fauna born, raise it for years, slaughter it, skin and gut the
animal for consumption, would they still eat the cow, pig, chicken, fish, or other fauna? How many more vegans
would there be in the world if this was the process in which everyone acquired meat instead of the current
blinded reality where it is commercially presented as this final picture perfect, delicious and healthy food that
everyone is told they want and need to consume? Would Homo sapiens eat a more vegan diet if they were
exposed to the reality of the foods which they are consuming, the environmental impacts, the morality issues,
and the health effects? What does it say about food and nutritional education when some consumers believe that
chocolate milk comes from brown cows or that lean beef comes from skinny cows?
Livestock Antibiotics, Steroids, and Candy
Antibiotics were a revolution in medicine but ultimately the livestock and even medical industries have abused
them, and now they may become useless against certain strains of disease as a result of this abuse. At one point
recently, most antibiotics were being used on livestock animals and not on humans. Until 2016, antibiotics were
widely used on livestock animals, not to treat disease, but as growth promoters, and the down side to doing this
is pathogens could develop a resistance to antibiotics and could potentially be transmitted to humans. Some
antibiotics are given to cattle to prevent liver abscesses, a side effect of the unnatural diet fed to them by Homo
sapiens. In the March 2015 National Geographic Magazine, Kelsey Nowakowski reported that,
“Americans today eat three times as much poultry as they did in 1960. Since most U.S. chickens are raised in large, crowded
facilities, farmers feed them antibiotics to prevent disease as well as speed their growth... 80% of all antibiotics sold in the
United States are given to poultry and other livestock... In 1960 it took 63 days to grow a chicken 3.4 lbs. chicken, in 2011 it
took 47 days to grow a 5.4 lbs. chicken... Only 7 percent of some 400 antibiotic drugs given to livestock have been reviewed
by the FDA”
To abuse antibiotics in this irresponsible manner for profits and increased demand has allowed for the potential
of a pandemic, as antibiotics are now becoming useless in some medical applications. The December 2015
Naked Scientist podcast released a story 'Antibiotic Apocalypse', in it, they reported that no truly new antibiotics
have been developed in the last 20 years, yet the rate of resistance to antibiotics is increasing. Scientist have
attributed this resistance mainly to the overuse of antibiotics to treat the overwhelming endemic diseases which
farm faunae proliferate as a result of stress caused by the conditions which the faunae are exposed to.
In March 2016, CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. said, “New data show that far too many patients are
getting infected with dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria in healthcare settings.” The antibiotic-resistant superbugs
are: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),
ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (extended-spectrum B-lactamases), Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
(VRE), Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter, and Clostridium
difficile. Clostridium difficile was the most common type of bacteria responsible for infections in hospitals and
which caused almost 500,000 infections in the United States in 2011. (66) The October 22, 2013 PBS Frontline
report ‘Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria ’ explains the issue in detail. Antibiotics are often misused, as they are
now sold over the counter in some countries and available globally through the Internet without a prescription,
leading to regular use by some as a cure all solution, but this has only led to antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Perhaps nature has a solution to the antibiotic dilemma with an alternative antibiotic source from a flora species
in one of the ever-shrinking rainforest. Scientists at Rockefeller University have discovered microorganisms
found in soil that can be used to create antibiotics which kill pathogens resistant to multiple drugs currently in
use. (706) Or perhaps in the not too distant past the solution was within the stomachs of Homo sapiens ancestors.
Anew study by scientists of Yanomani tribespeople has revealed some very interesting facts about the original
human digestive bacteria and antibiotics. In April 2015, Michael Purdy reported that,
"The study, published April 17 in Science Advances, reports that the microbial populations on the skin and in the mouths and
intestines of the Yanomami tribespeople were much more diverse than those found in people from the United States and
Europe. The multicenter research was conducted by scientists at New York University School of Medicine, Washington
University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research and other institutions.
In recent years, the abundance of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture has accelerated this process, stimulating the
development and spread of genes that help bacteria survive exposure to antibiotics. Consequently, strains of human disease
that are much harder to treat have emerged. “We have already run out of drugs to treat some types of multidrugresistant
infections, many of which can be lethal, raising the bleak prospect of a post-antibiotic era,” Dantas said.
“Our results bolster a growing body of data suggesting a link between, on one hand, decreased bacterial diversity,
industrialized diets and modem antibiotics, and on the other, immunological and metabolic diseases — such as obesity,
asthma, allergies and diabetes, which have dramatically increased since the 1970s,” said Maria Dominguez-Bello, PhD,
associate professor of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center and senior author of the study. “We believe
there is something occurring in the environment during the past 30 years that has been driving these diseases, and we think the
microbiome could be involved.”
Dominguez-Bello said the research suggests a link between modem antibiotics, diets in industrialized parts of the world and a
greatly reduced diversity in the human microbiome — the trillions of bacteria that live in and on the body and that are
increasingly being recognized as vital to good health. Yanomami as for how bacteria could resist drugs that such microbes
never before had encountered, the researchers point to the possibility of cross-resistance, when genes that resist natural
antibiotics also have the ability to resist related synthetic antibiotics.
“We’ve seen resistance emerge in the clinic to every new class of antibiotics, and this appears to be because resistance
mechanisms are a natural feature of most bacteria and are just waiting to be activated or acquired with exposure to
antibiotics,” Dantas said.” (36)
Cattle are also given steroids like estradiol and trenbolone acetate to add muscle and make the product larger to
increase profits. To inject faunae with these unnatural steroids is some of the worst modifications that can be
done to a food source, especially when flora-based foods never need these antibiotics or steroids to produce a
perfectly natural and healthy food product. Shouldn’t food companies be required to reveal the sources of the
food they are selling, any modifications done with genetics, fertilizers, pesticides, medications, or other
technologies?
For decades now in the United States some cows have been fed aesthetically defective candy like Skittles as an
inexpensive carbohydrate source. (240) Would consumers still eat this meat if they knew exactly what the fauna
was eating? Why is this meat not labeled candy-fed like other meat which is labeled grass-fed or grain-fed?
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables / Flora Based Food Sources
Compare the actions, energy level, mood, lifespan, outer appearance, bowel movements, and overall health of an
individual who eats an organic vegan diet of whole grains, beans, fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables with
someone who eats fast food, junk food, meat, dairy, and other disgusting unhealthy foods, and one will see vast
differences with far more positive results from the vegan individual. It is also a fact that vegans have a smaller
carbon footprint as a result of not consuming meat. And in spite of the erroneous belief that meat must be
consumed in order to maintain health, all the nutritional needs of Homo sapiens can be fulfilled entirely on a
vegan diet, in fact even more so than on a fauna-based diet. Eating a vegan diet of whole grains, beans, fruits,
nuts, seeds, and vegetables has been proven to be far healthier. Many vegan converts cannot believe how they ate
meat for so long in such vast quantities. Some are even disgusted by the taste of dairy, eggs, and meat when
attempting to revert back to an omnivore diet, and ultimately switch back to the healthier better tasting vegan
diet.
Some have a misconception about vegans being skinny and malnourished, but vegans are actually far healthier
and maintain a perfect body weight compared to their obese omnivore counterparts. Many athletes eat a vegan
diet, and Roman gladiators ate mostly a vegan diet of barley and vegetables, they were even sometimes refered
to as hordearii which literally means 'barley men'. (291) Claims have also been made that meat must be consumed
to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, that without meat an individual cannot get the required vitamins and
other nutritional components to maintain health. But if one compares the vitamin and mineral sources, it is
obvious that all of the vitamins and other nutritional components needed to maintain health are found in flora-
based sources. In fact, many nutritional qualities like carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and
antioxidants are only found in sufficient quantities when from flora-based sources and are found in minute
quantities from a fauna source as a result of the fauna consuming flora. The following table illustrates how flora-
based food sources contain far more nutrition, and that there is also allot more variety to choose from than fauna-
based food sources.
Source Comparison of Vitamins and Other Nutrition Components
Component
Some of the Best Flora or Other Natural Sources
Some of the Best Fauna or Other Modified Sources
Protein
cereals, most all fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts,
and whole grains
beef, dairy products, eggs, fish, and poultry
Fats
nuts, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats from
vegetable-based oils
beef, dairy products, eggs, fish, and poultry
Carbohydrates
most all fruits and vegetables, grains, and legumes
NONE
Fiber
apple skins, avocados, barley, berries, broccoli, carrots,
NONE
cauliflower, celery, figs, green beans, legumes,
legumes, nuts and seeds, oats, onions, pears, plums,
potato skins, prunes, ripe bananas, rye, sweet potatoes,
wheat and corn bran, whole grain foods, zucchini
Vitamin A
apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, collard greens,
kale, mango, papaya, peas, pumpkin, spinach, and
tomatoes
chicken, beef, pork, and fish livers, dairy products, and
eggs
Vitamin B 1
(Thiamine)
corn flour, legumes, rice, seeds, and spinach
enriched breads and flour and pork
Vitamin B2
almonds, most all leaf vegetables, and mushrooms
dairy products, eggs, kidneys, and livers
Vitamin B6
bananas, chickpeas, pistachios, potatoes, and whole
grains
beef, pork, and turkey
Vitamin B12
vegetables grown in healthy organic soils (see notation
below)
beef, dairy products, eggs, poultry, shellfish, and turkey
Niacin
apricots, bell peppers, ginger, portabella mushrooms,
potatoes, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, tarragon, and
whole grains
pork, tuna, and turkey, and veal
Vitamin B9 (Folic
Acid / Folate)
asparagus, avocados, Brussels sprouts, legumes, dark
green leafy vegetables, most all fruits, nuts, peas,
spinach, and whole grains
beef, eggs, enriched breads, and poultry, and seafood
Vitamin C
most all fruits and vegetables
NONE
Vitamin D
sunlight
fortified dairy products
Vitamin E
avocados, broccoli, canola oil, kiwifruit, mangos, nuts,
olive oil, pumpkins, sesame oil, sunflower oil, and
tomatoes
dairy products
Vitamin K
asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard
greens, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, parsley, spinach,
and turnip greens
NONE
SOURCE: Wikipedia (with some corrections, additions, and other edits)
NOTE ON B12: Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. states that,
"Research has convincingly shown that plants grown in healthy soil that has a good concentration of vitamin B12 will readily
absorb the nutrient. However, plants grown in "lifeless” soil (non-organic soil) may be deficient in vitamin B12. In the United
States, most of our agriculture takes place on relatively lifeless soil, decimated from years of unnatural pesticide, herbicide
and fertilizer use. So the plants grown in this soil and sold in our super markets lack B12. In addition, we live in such a
sanitized world that we rarely come into direct contact with the soil home microorganisms that produce B 1 2. At one point in
our history, we got B12 from vegetables that hadn't been scoured of all the soil.” (101)
Furthermore, if one examines the nutrient composition chart below, they will see that flora-based foods have far
more nutrition than fauna-based foods. It is unfortunate that so few know this information, or even take the time
to actually inquire about the foods they are consuming, but instead simply consume whatever the food
conglomerates supply and market to them.
Nutrient Composition of Plant and Animal-Based Foods
(Per 500 Calories of Energy)
Nutrient
Plant-Based Foods (i)
Animal-Based Foods (2>
Cholesterol(mg)
0
137
Fat(g)
4
36
Protein(g)
33
34
Beta-carotene(mcg)
29,919
17
Dietary Fiber(g)
31
0
Vitamin C(mg)
293
4
Folate(mcg)
1,168
19
Vitamin E (mg ATE)
11
0.5
Iron(mg)
20
2
Magnesium(mg)
548
51
Calcium(mg)
545
252
(1) Equal parts of tomatoes, spinach, lima beans, peas, potatoes
(2) Equal parts of beef, pork, chicken, whole milk
SOURCE: The China Study (2006) by: Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. And Thomas M. Campbell II ISBN: 1-932100-66-0 p.230
Some omnivores consume little to no fiber and are so constipated they take must take medication in order to
defecate, while others resort to bringing reading material into the bathroom because it takes them so long to
defecate on the rare occasion that they actually do. Some Homo sapiens consume vast quantities of vitamins and
nutritional supplements in an attempt to maintain health, most do not monitor and regulate their intake and end
up taxing their organs as a result when excreting these excess vitamins and minerals in their urine and feces. This
unnecessary stress on the liver, kidneys, and digestive system can also lead to digestive problems and even early
organ failure. The billion-dollar vitamin and nutritional supplement industry is strongly based on the erroneous
assumption that Homo sapiens can’t get sufficient vitamins and minerals from food sources, or that they can
simply replace food with a pill. Would it not be more logical to consume healthy and nutritional flora-based
foods versus attempting to get vitamins, minerals, and fiber from a pill source? The PBS Frontline report
‘Supplements and Safety ’ January 19, 2016 reports on this controversial billion-dollar industry. Would vitamins
and other nutritional supplements even be necessary if Homo sapiens simply consumed a healthier vegan-based
diet instead of a meat- and dairy-based diet?
The May 2014 National Geographic Magazine, reported that Farmers markets which sell mainly fruits and
vegetables had increased from 4,685 markets in 2008, to 8,144 markets in 2014. This increase is great news for
consumers that prefer local, often organic, fresh fruits and vegetables. It also shows that food can be supplied
directly from farmer to customer and eliminate all the greedy brokers, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers
which serve as middlemen and only make the food far costlier than it should be. If the local organic farmers can
continue growing in numbers, then this positive trend could have an enormous impact on food sources and the
food quality. The consumer demand for more natural, organic, and less genetically modified foods is growing,
especially as consumers have more natural alternatives for flora-based food sources from around the world.
Consumers now have more choices than ever when it comes to food sources which are vegan, organic, and
additive free. There are even emerging vegan specialty companies like Beyond Meat, Gardein, Tofurky, Yves
Veggie Cuisine, Field Roast, LightLife, Sweet Earth Foods, The Jackfruit Company, along with several others
and now there is even Veganz, a chain of vegan grocery stores. There are also new companies like Ugly Juice
which not only make a vegan product, but also help to fight food waste by making fresh juice from produce
which would otherwise be discarded for aesthetic reasons.
Healthy fresh fruits and vegetables can be produced inexpensively on an individual or commercial level, and
naturally without using synthetic pesticides, additives, hormones, antibiotics, or genetic modifications. If a
majority of Homo sapiens switch to a vegan-based diet consuming no meat or dairy products which are sourced
from other mammals, aves, or fish, this could tremendously help in reducing pollution, water consumption, and
increase the overall well-being of Homo sapiens. If all the food available were nutritional and healthy, would this
not alleviate many health issues?
Current Medical Epidemics
Regarding the connection that nutrition and disease have, Hippocrates wrote,
"Whoever pays no attention to these things, or, paying attention, does not comprehend them, how can he understand the
diseases which befall a man?" (311)
Nearly 2,500 years ago Hippocrates referred to this link between nutrition and disease, and 150 years ago
surgeon and author George Macilwain identified alcohol, grease, and fat as being the main causes of cancer. (105)
Thus for a very long-time, Homo sapiens have been aware of how dietary factors can cause disease. So why then
is modern medicine wasting so much time and so many resources attempting to cure easily preventable diseases?
Why are more individuals not educated from youth about nutrition and how to live a more healthy and longer
life while also making less impact upon Earth?
Many individuals know Greek history, it is taught in many schools at many grade levels, but there is a
mainstream focus on the antiquated subjects of mythology, war, and the tyrants who waged these wars, while the
subjects of science and health often go virtually unnoticed, and this is unfortunate as there is much to be learned.
Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. tells of one such ancient lesson that perhaps applies even more so today than when
it was written,
“Almost 2,500 years ago, Plato wrote a dialogue between two characters, Socrates and Glaucon, in which they discuss the
future of their cities. Socrates says the cities should be simple, and the citizens should subsist on barley and wheat, with
“relishes” of salt, olives, cheese and “country fare of boiled onions and cabbage,” with deserts of “figs, peas, beans,” roasted
myrtle-berries and beechnuts, and wine in moderation. Socrates says, “And thus, passing their days in tranquility and sound
health, they will in all probability, live to an advanced age....”
But Glaucon replies that such a diet would only be appropriate for “a community of swine,” and that the citizens should live
“in a civilized manner.” He continues, “They ought to recline on couches.. .and have the usual dishes and dessert of a modem
dinner.” In other words, the citizens should have the “luxury” of eating meat. Socrates replies, “if you wish us also to
contemplate a city that is suffering from inflammation.. ..We shall also need great quantities of all kinds of cattle for those who
may wish to eat them, shall we not?”
Glaucon says, “Of course we shall.” Socrates then says, “Then shall we not experience the need of medical men also to a
much greater extent under this than under the former regime?” Glaucon can't deny it. “Yes, indeed,” he says. Socrates goes on
to say that this luxurious city will be short of land because of the extra acreage required to raise animals for food. This
shortage will lead to citizens to take land from others, which could precipitate violence and war, thus a need for justice.
Furthermore, Socrates writes, “when dissoluteness and disease abound in a city, are not law courts and surgeries opened in
abundance, and do not Law and Physic begin to hold their heads high, when number even of well-bom persons devote
themselves with eagerness to these professions?” In other words, in this luxurious city of sickness and disease, lawyers and
doctors will become the nonn.
Plato, in this passage, made it perfectly clear: we shall eat animals only at our own peril. Though it is indeed remarkable that
one of the greatest intellectuals in the history of the Western world condemned meat eating almost 2,500 years ago, I find it
even more remarkable that few know about this history. Hardly anybody knows, for example, that the father of Western
medicine, Hippocrates, advocated diet as the chief way to prevent and treat disease or that George Macilwain knew that diet
was the way to prevent and treat disease or that the man instrumental in founding the American Cancer Society, Frederick L.
Hoffman, knew that diet was the way to prevent and treat disease.
How did Plato predict the future so accurately? He knew that consuming animal foods would not lead to true health and
prosperity. Instead, the false sense of rich luxury granted by being able to eat animals would only lead to a culture of sickness,
disease, land disputes, lawyers and doctors. This is a pretty good description of some of the challenges faced by modem
America!” (114)
The mainstream western society diet is high in fat, sugar, cholesterol, and sodium which has resulted in
epidemics of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, strokes, autoimmune diseases,
various cancers, and other chronic diseases of affluence. These resulting medical conditions have also cost
trillions of dollars and placed unneeded stress on the medical resources of the world. These conditions have
helped to create a massive trillion-dollar network of businesses offering life-threatening surgery, pseudo
specialists, pseudo treatments, potentially lethal prescription drugs, gimmicks, and other pseudo solutions that
are unable to solve an ever growing worldwide self-inflicted health epidemic. In other countries where plant-
based diets are more predominant, these diseases are virtually non-existent until the fauna-based western diet is
introduced, and the population begins consuming vast quantities of meat and dairy. Gluttonous consumption of
foods high in fat, sugar, cholesterol, and sodium combined with alcohol, tobacco, stress, and a sedentary lifestyle
have made cardiovascular disease the leading cause of death worldwide. And the number of annual victims is
quickly rising, from 12,300,000 Homo sapiens worldwide dying of cardiovascular related causes in 1993, to
17,300,000 in 2013. (37) There has also been an increase in the incidence rate of anaphylaxis. Dr. F. Estelle R.
Simons states,
“. . . it is clear that anaphylaxis is not rare and that the rate of occurrence is increasing, especially in the first 2 decades of life.
In a retrospective, population-based study using the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project, the incidence rate of
anaphylaxis was reported to double from 21 per 100,00 person-years in the 1980s to 49.8 per 100,000 person-years in the
1990s.” (126)
In addition, a 20 1 5 study on clinical and diagnostic aspects of gluten related disorders stated,
“Gluten is one of the most abundant and widely distributed components of food in many areas. It can be included in wheat,
barley, rye, and grains such as oats, barley, spelt, kamut, and triticale. Gluten-containing grains are widely consumed; in
particular, wheat is one of the world’s primary sources of food, providing up to 50% of the caloric intake in both
industrialized and developing countries. Until two decades ago, celiac disease (CD) and other gluten-related disorders were
believed to be exceedingly rare outside of Europe and were relatively ignored by health professionals and the global media.
In recent years, however, the discovery of important diagnostic and pathogenic milestones led CD from obscurity to global
prominence. In addition, interestingly, people feeding themselves with gluten-free products greatly outnumber patients
affected by CD, fuelling a global consumption of gluten-free foods with approximately $2.5 billion in United States sales
each year. The acknowledgment of other medical conditions related to gluten that has arisen as health problems, providing a
wide spectrum of gluten-related disorders.” (92)
This deadly diet, along with other lifestyle choices, combined with the polluted and toxic environment of Earth,
is also impacting Homo sapiens reproduction abilities. Diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure
all helped to increase the maternal mortality rates 27% in 48 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. between 2000 to
20 1 4. (437) The 52.4% sperm count decline between 1973 and 2011 in men from North America, Europe,
Australia, and New Zealand has been plausibly associated with environmental influences and lifestyle factors
like: pesticides, diet, smoking, and stress. (442) In the United States, 4,500,000 women had impaired fecundity or
difficulties conceiving or bringing a pregnancy to term in 1982, by 2002 this number increased to 7,300,000
women. And while this dramatic increase in infertility and impaired fecundity are not well understood, sexually
transmitted infections, environmental toxins, and certain lifestyle factors have been the focus of ongoing
research. (694)
Many of these chronic diseases of affluence are so easily preventable as they are caused primarily by vitamin
deficiencies. (12 1) Scientific research and the evidence it has gathered shows that countries with a diet of mostly
unrefined flora-based foods have far lower rates of these chronic diseases. Most consumers are very ignorant
about health knowledge and more especially about nutrition, thus they naively allow commercial food
companies to take this responsibility. Unfortunately for consumers health, most commercial food companies are
in the business to make profits, and this has resulted in making the cheapest food products using the unhealthiest
ingredients. Many think the solution to solving chronic diseases of affluence is through genetic modification, but
genetics determines only 2 to 3% of these diseases while environmental factors, lifestyle, and diet are major
influences. This misunderstanding lead many to believe that these chronic diseases of affluence will someday be
cured by simply turning the gene off. Another misconception is that eating grass fed, farm raised meat and dairy
is somehow safer and healthier, but it's not so much the process as it is the product being consumed, which is
unhealthy. And yet this erroneous notion is still peipetuated by some companies as being a safer better
alternative, while also allowing these companies to charge exorbitant prices for something that will have the
same negative health consequences. And although the Hippocratic oath states, “1 will prevent disease whenever 1
can, for prevention is preferable to cure,” many doctors practice the exact opposite of this philosophy. By
utilizing education and making healthy alternatives readily available, chronic diseases of affluence can be
prevented in many if not most instances. So why then isn't it being done? Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. states
that,
“When nutrition education is provided in relation to public health problems, guess who is supplying the “educational”
material? The Dannon Institute, Egg Nutrition Board, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Dairy Council, Nestle
Clinical Nutrition, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Baxter Healthcare Corporation and others
have all joined forces to product a Nutrition in Medicine program and the Medical Nutrition Curriculum Initiative. Do you
think that this all-star team of animal foods and drug industries representatives is going to objectively judge and promote
optimal nutrition, which science has shown to be a whole foods, plant -based diet that minimizes the need for drugs? Or might
they try to protect the meat-centered, Western diet where everyone expects to pop a pill for every sickness?”
“Our institutions and infonnation providers are failing us. Even cancer organizations, at both the national and local level, are
reluctant to discuss or even believe this evidence. Food as a key to health represents a powerful challenge to conventional
medicine, which is fundamentally built on drugs and surgery. The widespread communities of nutrition professionals,
researchers and doctors are, as a whole, either unaware of this evidence or reluctant to share it. Because of the failings,
Americans are being cheated out of infonnation that could save their lives.” (118)
During his extensive career Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. has been at the forefront of nutrition research, he has
conducted studies which focus on cancer and the effects that fauna-based protein versus flora-based protein have
on promoting and even decreasing cancer. The China Study, which is to date, the most comprehensive study of
health and nutrition ever conducted, revealed some very interesting data. In the China Study and several other
nutritional studies all the results point to the same conclusion, meat and dairy based food sources are unhealthy
and even deadly, while flora-based food sources are healthy and promote life. Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.
states that,
“More commonly known as the China Study, this project eventually produced more than 8,000 statistically significant
associations between various dietary factors and disease!
What made this project especially remarkable is that, among the many associations that are relevant to diet and disease, so
many pointed to the same finding: people who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease. Even relatively
small intakes of animal-based food were associated with adverse effects. People who ate the most plant-based foods were the
healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease.”
“ In fact, dietary protein proved to be so powerful in its effect that we could turn on and turn off cancer growth simply by
changing the level consumed... What protein consistently and strongly promoted cancer? Casein, which makes up 87% of
cow's milk protein, promoted all stages of the cancer process. What type of protein did not promote cancer, even at high levels
of intake? The safe proteins were from plants, including wheat and soy.”
“...nutrients from animal-based foods increased tumor development while nutrients from plant-based foods decreased tumor
development.”
“Almost all of us in the United States will die of diseases of affluence. In our China Study, we saw that nutrition has a very
strong effect on these diseases. Plant-based foods are linked to lower blood cholesterol; animal-based foods are linked to
higher blood cholesterol. Animal-based foods are linked to higher breast cancer rates; plant-based foods are linked to lower
rates. Fiber and antioxidants from plants are linked to a lower risk of cancers of the digestive tract. Plant-based diets and
active lifestyles result in a healthy weight, yet permit people to become big and strong.. .we can minimize our risk of
contracting deadly diseases just by eating the right food.” (117)
Furthermore, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. speculates that cancer could be dormant just waiting to be activated
by the consumption of meat and dairy foods, in writing,
“In simple terms, the body holds a grudge. It suggests that if we are exposed in the past to a carcinogen that initiates a bit of
cancer that remain donnant, this cancer can still be “reawakened” by bad nutrition.”
“Is it possible that chemical carcinogens, in general, do not cause cancer unless the nutritional conditions are “right”? Is it
possible that, for much of our lives, we are being exposed to small amounts of cancer causing chemicals, but cancer does not
occur unless we consume foods that promote and nurture tumor development? Can we control cancer through nutrition?”
“...in both rodents and humans the initiation stage is far less important than the promotion stage of cancer. This is because we
are very likely “dosed” with a certain amount of carcinogens in our everyday lives, but whether they lead to full tumors
depends on their promotion or lack thereof.”
“...our most powerful weapon against cancer is the food we eat every day.” (122)
Obesity has nearly tripled worldwide since 1975. In 2016, there were more than 1,900,000,000 adults aged 18
years and older which were overweight, with 650,000,000 of them being obese. In addition, there were
41,000,000 children under the age of 5 that were either overweight or obese, and more than 340,000,000 children
and adolescents aged 5 to 19 that were also overweight or obese. (608) Of the 195 countries in the world, 96
countries have high obesity rates with 20% or more of the population being obese. It should also be noted, that in
addition to the obese percentage, another 20% or more of the population of many countries is overweight.
SOME COUNTRIES WITH HIGH OBESITY RATES
% OF POPULATION OBESE
COUNTRY
42
KUWAIT
33
BELIZE
33
EGYPT
33
UNITED STATES
33
SAUDI ARABIA
32
CZECH REPUBLIC
32
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
32
MEXICO
31
SOUTH AFRICA
30
FIJI
30
VENEZUELA
29
ARGENTINA
29
CHILE
28
NEW ZEALAND
27
LIBYA
27
TURKEY
27
HUNGARY
27
LITHUANIA
27
LEBENON
27
SYRIA
27
IRAQ
26
UNITED KINGDOM
26
AUSTRALIA
26
SPAIN
26
RUSSIA
26
CANADA
26
ISRAEL
26
LUXEMBOURG
25
EL SALVADOR
25
CYPRUS
25
PANAMA
25
POLAND
25
IRELAND
25
GERMANY
SOURCE: CIA WORLD FACT BOOK 2017
When 1/4 to 1/3 of a population is obese, one might be led to believe that there is a serious problem with the
society’s food sources and lifestyle choices. The CDC states that American adult men and women are 25 pounds
heavier on average than they were in 1960. (161) In 2008, the estimated yearly medical costs of obesity in the
United States was as high as $147,000,000,000 a year, or nearly 10% of all medical spending. An amount which
nearly doubled since 1998 from an estimated of $78,500,000,000 a year. (162) Obesity is now more than ever an
accepted part of western society, and it is considered just another lifestyle. The entertainment industry portrays
obese Homo sapiens as happy and funny, as just another character. There are even specialty clothing stores
which cater specifically towards obese Homo sapiens, with the socially acceptable name called 'Plus Size’. An
entire billion-dollar pseudo diet and weight loss industry has developed around obesity. Obesity has in fact
become just another negative thing that society accepts, while ignoring the simple solution that most obesity
issues could easily be corrected with daily exercise and consuming a healthy diet. Some are also delusional in
thinking that as you get older your metabolism slows down and you just simply get fatter with age.
Obesity is so prevalent in western societies that it has also affected dogs and cats which have developed this
condition. As a result of Homo sapiens feeding them a diet high in fat combined with a sedentary lifestyle, an
estimated 35% of cats and 34% of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese. (404) Engaging in glutton
competitions while other Homo sapiens are starving around the world is a major warning sign that society has
serious issues with regard to food consumption and distribution. If every individual in developed countries went
hungry for a month eating a daily diet which consisted of only one small bowl of rice and beans per day, would
their attitude not change towards helping to eliminate world hunger and food waste? One thing is certain it
would definitely help those who are morbidly obese to lose some weight. Will the world ever reverse the current
obesity epidemic, or will future generations continue down the same path their ancestors took? Perhaps the most
recent spikes in consumer food cost combined with recent product quantity decreases will lead to slightly less
consumption and more awareness about the quantities of food they are consuming versus the recommended
amount.
Part of the cause is from consumers not having had nutritional education and disciplinary eating habits, while the
other part is a result of commercial companies themselves offering and promoting unhealthy foods. There are
nutritional and ingredient labels which detail everything about the food item, but how many consumers actual
read or even understand this data? And what good are the labels if the members of the Food and Nutrition Board
(FNB) who decide the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) are heavily influenced by the meat, dairy, sugar,
and other food industries? Why must Homo sapiens waste resources attempting to fight and control these
medical issues with science and medicine, when they could easily be prevented by not consuming meat, dairy,
and other unhealthy foods? Flow many billions of dollars each year goes towards the medical expenses of these
easily preventable diseases? Could medical treatments be decreased by 70% or more if Homo sapiens simply
changed their lifestyle and diet? Is it simply a matter of the consumer's eating habits changing by choice, either
through education or as a result of health issues from an indulgent and unhealthy diet in the past?
Temporary Solutions for Permanent Problems
The lengths some Homo sapiens will go to for medical treatment are sometimes unthinkable, (e.g. dental
amalgam is still practiced for treating cavities even though it utilizes highly toxic mercury) Why would anyone
put such a highly toxic substance permanently into their mouth potentially endangering their health, and
ultimately releasing mercury pollution into the atmosphere or soil when they die? Why are toxic treatments like
chemotherapy used when they have so many adverse side effects and such a low success rate? Why are medical
procedures like electroconvulsive therapy still used when there are questions as to the efficacy, ethics, and
adverse side effects of the treatment? Why are synthetically created medicines used so heavily when they have
so many possible adverse side effects and warnings?
There were 66,000 kidney transplants in 2005 which only covered around 10% of requested donations. Organ
transplants have extended some lives with many organs transplanted which are taken from willing donors who
want to help others when they die. But unfortunately, like most medicine, organ transplants have become just
another medical industry based around profits that cannot meet the demand resulting in a black market of
desperate poor donors. In some villages in Pakistan 40 to 50% of the village residents have only one kidney
because they have sold the other. (367) In China, an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 organs are transplanted each
year with the majority of donor organs coming from executed prisoners of conscience. Between 2000 and 2016,
an estimated 1,500,000 organ transplants took place in China. (368) Do these organ recipients know, or even care
where these organs are being sourced from? If an individual has taxed their organs to the point of failure because
of their negative lifestyle choices and now needs an organ transplant, would not the simpler more cost-effective
solution have been prevention? Would there even be such a demand for organs if Homo sapiens maintained
healthier lifestyles? Are Homo sapiens so desperate to live they will attempt insane pseudo medical treatments
and go so far as to transplant organs? Have these individuals not reached a point of acceptance that death is
inevitable and that nothing can make you live forever? Homo sapiens seem so desperate to live as long as
possible that they will pay any amount and attempt anything, risking even the certain possibility of death which
they are attempting to defy. If some have their way, organ transplants in the future will be grown inside pigs, one
of the very fauna species which is being eaten and causing so many to need an organ transplant in the first place.
(430) What does it say about a society’s morals toward another sentient being, which is exploited first by eating it
and then by using it to harvest replacement organs? Perhaps future medicine will be more like Miguel
Sapochnik’s 2010 ‘Repo Men ’, where organ transplants will be just another overpriced commodity which is sold
and repossessed when consumers can no longer afford it. Shouldn’t Homo sapiens attempt to solve the
anthropogenic issues which claim far more lives before attempting to change and alter the natural ones?
There are many natural medicines which are derived from florae, some of which have been used for thousands of
years. But much knowledge about natural medicine which was known by Homo sapiens ancient ancestors is
unknown today and is simply waiting to be rediscovered. This ancient and once common knowledge has either
been replaced by synthetic drugs or simply forgotten. Many florae of Earth have not been identified, classified,
or described, and these unknown florae and much of the known florae have never even been scientifically
researched for medicinal applications. Perhaps if a more natural cure to diseases is sought through ethnobotany,
so many ailments which plague Homo sapiens could be a thing of the past. Nature is perfect and has a solution to
every problem that is encountered, for it is not seen as a problem to nature, but simply a piece of nature's larger
puzzle. The hurdle which Homo sapiens are faced with is not one of finding the solution to nature's problems,
but the correct natural solution which nature already knows. If Homo sapiens continue to seek the answers to
problems in a synthetic way attempting to playing God with science, they may continue to only find temporary
solutions to permanent self-inflicted problems. Do potential new medicinal drugs await Homo sapiens from
undiscovered flora in one of the many unexplored ecosystems of the Earth? Could florae revolutionize medicine
and lead Homo sapiens to abandon potentially harmful synthetic drugs which result in the deaths of so many
every year? How much different would the medical system be if more resources were devoted to researching
ethnobotany, herbalism, nutrition, ethnomedicine, and other natural alternative therapies?
The human body is resilient and can heal itself if given time and the proper nutrition, but much of modern
medicine is based on extreme treatments, some even experimental, which actually weaken the immune system
and can result in additional medical issues and even death. Homo sapiens are a beautifully created complex
organism, to attempt manipulation of it through technology or to rely on pseudo-science for shortcuts as an
alternative for better health is nothing more than ignorance and foolishness. No pill can replace whole foods, no
surgery can permanently fix the body or make one live a healthier life, no genetic modifications will alleviate
diseases of affluence, and no fauna-based diet will ever be as healthy as a flora-based one. The only true way to
maintain a healthy body, is through a healthy flora-based diet and an active lifestyle. Age is a part of life, and
acceptance of aging is something many do not want to do so they instead attempt to hide or stop the inevitable
with plastic surgery, pseudo medicines, and other anti -aging schemes. Some Homo sapiens take 5, 10, 15, or
more pills per day, how stressed are the livers, kidneys, and other organs of these individuals? Is attempting to
prolong an inevitable death really worth the excessive strain placed on the medical community and environment?
Is fighting an inevitable death in this manner really considered living?
A Healthcare System Based Around Money and Profits
Medicine has become an industry based on profits, not a system based solely on helping the sick. In 2013, the
world spent $7,350,000,000,000 on healthcare, more than double spent in 2000, with a total world market for
medicines and medical technologies estimated to be $11,000,000,000,000. (413) The United States spends more
than 17% of its GDP on healthcare. In 2010, the costs of cancer care in the United States alone was
$124,570,000,000. (270) In 2013, the top 10 bestselling cancer drugs had a combined revenue of
$37,470,000,000. (271) Has cancer become just another sector of the medical industry with a profitable pseudo
cure, while natural treatments and possibly even a cure utilizing cannabis has been proven scientifically in
laboratory tests, but is ignored by most of the medical establishment? CNBC reported in 2017, that the top six
health insurers in the United States reported $6,000,000,000 in adjusted profits for the second quarter, which was
a 29% increase from the same quarter a year ago. (577) Millions of Homo sapiens every year become even poorer
as a result of their medical expenses. A 2015 WHO report concluded,
"Every year, some 100 million people fall below the poverty line as a result of out-of-pocket expenditures on health, and a
further 1.2 billion, already living in poverty, are pushed further into penury for the same reason." (413)
Basing medical care mainly around money and profits has ultimately led to exorbitant prices for medical
treatment, and more especially for synthetic prescription drugs, resulting in many around the world having
limited access to medicine because they simply cannot afford it. How can life itself be based on a monetary
value? How many patients are treated each year unnecessarily to make a profit? How many millions of dollars
and resources were wasted on patients who would have inevitably died anyway? Why must millions of Homo
sapiens become poor in order to get medical treatment to sustain life? Shouldn’t medical care be based on
helping patients and not on making profits? What good it a cure if it is based mainly on money and thus
unavailable to much of the world’s population? When the government mandates all Americans have health
insurance or pay a tax penalty, is this not further evidence the health system is based around money and profits
and not on actual healthcare? Why is the Catholic religion allowed to own hospitals and other healthcare
facilities allowing medical directives to be influenced with their religious beliefs, while also receiving federal
funding? Will there ever be free Universal Health Care for the entire world?
In the United States, care for the elderly, disabled, and dying has become just another business where private
companies charge vast sums of money and often provide inadequate care. In 2014, the CDC reported that in the
United States, there were 12,400 home health agencies serving 4,900,000 patients with 80% of home health
agencies being for-profit ownership, 30,200 residential care communities with 835,200 residents with 81.8% of
residential care communities being for-profit ownership, 4,000 hospice care agencies with 1,300,000 patients
with 60.2% of hospice care agencies being for-profit ownership, and 15,600 nursing homes housing 1,400,000
residents with 69.8% of nursing homes being for-profit ownership. (581) Between 2012 and 2014, there were
8,100 fires in nursing homes, 66% of which were started by cooking vessels. (580) How can so many fires occur
in facilities which are supposed to be providing things like hot food and beverages within a safe and secure
environment? How can families with adequate resources abandon their relatives in such facilities?
Prescription Drug Epidemic
The vast majority of medical issues today are caused by negative lifestyle choices and environmental factors,
and yet to cure today's medical issues, be it mental illness, stress, depression, or dietary health issues, society has
resorted to experimental science in an attempt to 'Cure all with a pill'. Many of these preventative ills could
easily be cured by simple lifestyle and dietary changes, education, social changes, or perhaps even alternative
natural medicines derived from florae. Other medical issues like asthma could be drastically reduced if
environmental conditions in cities improved and the air quality were less polluted. Everything is susceptible to
the biological laws of cause and effect, especially dietary habits, if you eat unhealthily or live in an unhealthy
environment you will become unhealthy, and no amount of pills or extreme medical treatments will change the
results, they may perhaps delay the inevitable, but only temporarily. In many instances, modern medicine and
what doctors call a cure has done nothing more than prolong pain and suffering of many preventative diseases
and other health ailments. In fact, most prescription drugs only work on 50% or less of the patients who take
them, an open secret within the drug industry and one admitted to in 2003 by Allen Roses, the former worldwide
vice-president of genetics at GlaxoSmithKline who stated,
"The vast majority of drugs - more than 90 per cent - only work in 30 or 50 per cent of the people, I wouldn't say that most
drugs don't work. I would say that most drugs work in 30 to 50 per cent of people. Drugs out there on the market work, but
they don't work in everybody." (197)
The pharmaceutical companies have, in essence, formed a monopoly over many drugs while also engaging in
price gouging to increase profits. This monopoly has created a trillion-dollar industry of over overpriced, over¬
prescribed, and sometimes addictive pharmaceutical drugs. Utilizing patents, tax breaks, and government
subsidies the pharmaceutical industry has created a monopoly that charges exorbitant prices on drugs that the
public is either addicted to taking or unknowingly forced to take through ignorance and a medical community of
doctors who condone the practice and perpetuate it on a daily basis. Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. remarks that,
“Considered from another perspective, the NCI (of the NIH), in 1999 had a budget of $2.93 billion. In a “major” 5-A-Day
dietary program, it was spending $500,000 to $1 million to educate the public to consume five or more servings of fruits and
vegetables per day. This is only three hundredths of one percent (0.0256%) of its budget. That's $2.56 for every $10,000! If it
calls this a major campaign, I pity its minor campaigns.”
“If very few of our tax dollars are used to fund nutrition research, what do they fund? Almost all of the billions of dollars of
taxpayer money expended by the NIH each year funds projects to develop drugs, supplements and mechanical devices. In
essence, the vast bulk of biomedical research funded by you and me is basic research to discover products that the
pharmaceutical industry can develop and market. In 2000, Dr. Marcia Angell, a former editor of the New England Journal of
Medicine, summarized it well when she wrote:
...the pharmaceutical industry enjoys extraordinary government protections and subsidies. Much of the early basic research
that may lead to drug development is funded by the National Institutes of Health. It is usually only later, when the research
shows practical promise that the drug companies become involved. The industry enjoys great tax advantages. Not only are its
research and development costs deductible, but so are its massive marketing expenses. The average tax tare of major U.S.
Industries from 1993 to 1996 was 27.3% of revenues. During the same period the pharmaceutical industry was reportedly
taxed at a rate of only 16.2%. Most important, the drug companies enjoy seventeen-year government-granted monopolies on
their new drugs-that is, patent protection. Once a drug is patented, no one else may sell it, and the drug company is free to
charge whatever the traffic will bear.” (119)
The pharmaceutical industry makes huge profits every year but spends far more on marketing medications than
on actual research and development. (316) Globally, pharmaceutical industry revenue each year is now more than
$1,000,000,000,000. Every year in the United States physicians order or provide 2,915,400,000 drugs to their
patients. 48.7% of the United States population uses one prescription drug, 21.8% use three or more prescription
drugs, 10.7% use 5 or more prescription drugs. What does it mean when nearly half the population takes a
prescription drug? Are Americans extremely sick or are they being overmedicated for monetary profits? (202)
Many pharmaceutical drugs cost very little to manufacture but retail for an exorbitant amount, the epinephrine
autoinjector, aka EpiPen is a prime example of this costing around $1 to manufacture and retailing for $600. In
the United States from 2002 to 2013, spending for insulin per patient increased from $231.48 to $736.09 which
affects some 29,000,000 American diabetics, or 9.3% of the population. (307) Lomustine, a 40-year old cancer
drug, was sold to a new pharmaceutical company in 2013, it has since risen from $50.00 per capsule to $768.00
per pill, an increase of nearly 1,400%. (664) How can companies be allowed to charge such exorbitant amounts
on life saving drugs? Do these scientists, doctors, and businesspersons who run these pharmaceutical giants have
no morals, and only care about profits? Why are companies like Turing Pharmaceuticals allowed to obtain the
sole manufacturing license for an antiparasitic drug like Daraprim, and engage in price gouging by increasing the
price from $13.50 USD per pill to $750.00 USD per pill, while in Brazil the same drug is available for $0.02
USD per pill? (409) An investigation by Reuters found that 4 of the most 10 prescribed drugs in the United States
have increased in price by more than 100% since 2011, and that in 2014 sales for the 10 most prescribed drugs
increased 44%, even though prescriptions for these same medications dropped 22%. Patient spending on
pharmaceutical drugs also increased faster than doctor visits and hospitalization over a five-year period. (412)
List of Most Expensive Prescription Drugs |
Drug Name
Cost
Glybera
$ 1 ,000,000 per year
Ravicti
$794,000 per year (an estimated 2000 Homo sapiens in the United States suffer from
this rare genetic disease, if each patient pays this exorbitant price it would be a total
of: $1,588,000,000.
Spinraza
$750,000 for the first year and $375,000 for each year after
Lumizyme
$626,000 per year
Carbaglu
$585,000 per year
Actimmune
$572,000 per year
Soliris
$543,000 per year (with an estimated 41,000 patients worldwide, if each patient pays
this exorbitant price it would be a total of: $22,263,000,000
As of 2015 there were 90 other prescription drugs that each had an annual cost of $100,000 or more, 5 of them costing more than
$400,000 per year.
SOURCE: The Motley Fool - The 7 Most Expensive Prescription Drugs in the World - April 18, 2017 -
httDs://www.fool.com/investing/2017/04/28/teva-Dhannaceutical-is-looking-to-deal-and-thats-a.aspx
Pharmaceutical companies have used unethical business schemes like: Medicaid Price Reporting, Best Price
Fraud, CME Fraud, Off Label Marketing, Good Manufacturing Practice Violations, Manufactured Compound
Drugs, and other methods to defraud the health care system in an effort to increase profits. From 2001 to 2013,
there were many settlements made between pharmaceutical companies and the United States Department of
Justice, the 22 largest settlements amounted to $19,755,000,000 in fines. Flow can these companies continue to
break the law with little or no real consequences?
Children today are often prescribed Ritalin, Adderall, or another experimental pharmaceutical concoction to
correct behavioral problems. In 1990, there were 600,000 children that were taking stimulants like Ritalin, by
2013 the number increased to 3,500,000 children while the stimulant Ritalin was largely replaced by Adderall.
(459) Worldwide, global Ritalin consumption was 2,400,000,000 doses in 2013. (461) About 83,000 prescriptions
for Prozac, and almost 20,000 prescriptions for Risperdal, Seroquel, and other antipsychotic medications were
written in 2014 for children that were 2 years old and younger. (460) Why is Ritalin, a drug that essentially has
the same pharmacological properties as amphetamines, used to treat children with behavioral problems? Are
these children’s behavioral issues a result from social and environmental factors? (e.g. alcohol, drug, pesticide,
or other chemical exposure during pregnancy, premature birth, low birth weight, vitamin or other nutritional
deficiencies, social deprivation, neglect or abuse, etc.) Instead of prescription drugs, could the solution be in
treating these children with behavior therapy, diet and lifestyle changes, and/or social changes? The January
2008 PBS Frontline program ‘The Medicated Child’ documents the issue in depth.
Top 25 Most Prescribed Pharmaceutical Drugs in the United States - April 2014 to March 2015
Prescription Drug
Total Prescriptions
Use
Synthroid
21,561,481
thyroid hormone deficiency
Crestor
21,478,776
high cholesterol and related conditions and to prevent
cardiovascular disease
Ventolin HFA
18,203,939
asthma
Nexium
15,298,228
stomach acid reducer
Advair Diskus
13,776,325
asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Lantus Solostar
10,939,840
diabetes
Vyvanse
10,413,999
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and binge eating
disorder
Lyrica
10,022,365
epilepsy, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, and generalized anxiety
disorder
Spiriva Handihaler
9,635,935
asthma
Januvia
9,148,946
diabetes
Lantus
9,145,153
diabetes
Ability
9,099,978
atypical antipsychotic
Symbicort
8,265,594
asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Tamiflu
8,025,275
antiviral flu medication
Cialis
7,472,719
erectile dysfunction
Viagra
7,104,074
erectile dysfunction
Suboxone
6,985,631
used in the treatment of opioid dependence
Zetia
6,925,137
high cholesterol
Xarelto
6,739,752
preventing and treating blood clots
Bystolic
6,461,435
high blood pressure
Celebrex
6,449,730
pain and inflammation
Nasonex
6,432,382
inflammation
Namenda
5,961,360
Alzheimer's disease
Flo vent HFA
5,736,650
asthma, allergic rhinitis, nasal polyps, various skin disorders and
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
Oxycontin
5,347,532
pain
Source: Medscape - 100 Best-Selling, Most Prescribed Branded Drugs Through March - by: Troy Brown, RN - May 06, 2015 -
httr>://www.medscar>e.com/viewarticle/8443 1 7#vn 1
The vast majority of prescription drugs used today are synthetic, with some even containing known chemicals
that have adverse health effects for some patients who use them only once. Prolonged use of prescription drugs
can also result in severe irreversible liver, kidney, or other bodily damage. There are no official statistics from
the FDA, CDC, or any United States government agency for the total number of adverse drug reactions and
adverse drug reaction deaths. There is however one study which analyzed data between 1966 and 1996, the study
estimated that in 1994 there were 2,216,000 hospitalized patients that had a serious adverse drug reaction, while
another 106,000 hospitalized patients had a fatal adverse drug reaction, making this an unreported and hidden
leading cause of death. (458) These estimates do not include adverse drug reactions which occurred in a nursing
home or in an ambulatory setting, which could add hundreds of thousands to the total. Why are adverse drug
reaction deaths not a focal point for relative government agencies, hospitals, doctors, and patients? Why are no
government statistics available on this issue, and why is there no system in place to record, track, and further
investigate each adverse drug reaction incident? How can the government ignore such a prevalent issue within
medicine? How many millions of adverse drug reactions occur worldwide? How many hundreds of thousands of
deaths worldwide occur because of an adverse drug reaction? Why is there so much focus on the abuse and
overdose deaths of prescription and illegal drugs, but so little attention given to a prescription drug which kills
the patient it was intending to save? If the public was more aware of the real total number of adverse drug
reactions and adverse drug reaction deaths which occur, would they take less prescription drugs? Have patients
become the ultimate clinical trial for prescription drugs? Why would anyone take such a substance to cure
something that can be done in a more natural way with florae, lifestyle changes, or physical therapy?
Prescription drug advertisements are presented in a soothing calm and happy voice when talking about not only
the drug itself, but even the side effects, as if allergic reactions, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, heart
palpitations, addiction, dependence, and other negative and even fatal side effects are normal and to be accepted.
A recent study found that 32% of prescription drugs approved by the FDA had safety issues prompting either
withdrawal of the drug from market, a box warning, or prompted a safety communication release. (346) Since the
1960’s, many prescription drugs in the United States and Europe have been recalled due to adverse and
sometimes previously unknown fatal side-effects. Why are so many highly addictive drugs prescribed so
frequently? Why have so many drugs with known side-effects been allowed to reach consumers only to later be
recalled? If 2 out of 1 ,000 patients experience a side-effect from taking a prescribed drug and the side-effect is a
guaranteed statistical probability, then what use is a black box warning or other government warning? Is society
being so heavily influenced by the medical establishment, corporations, and their advertising that they consume
whatever is marketed towards them no matter how toxic and deadly it could possibly be?
Some Controversial Medications
Drug
Description
Alosetron
Alosetron was withdrawn from the market in 2000 owing to the occurrence of serious life-threatening
gastrointestinal adverse effects, but was reintroduced in 2002 with availability and use restricted. Alosetron
was withdrawn from the market voluntarily by Glaxo Wellcome on November 28, 2000 owing to the
occurrence of serious life-threatening gastrointestinal adverse effects, including 5 deaths and additional bowel
surgeries. The FDA said it had reports of 49 cases of ischemic colitis and 21 cases of "severe constipation"
and that ten of the 70 patients underwent surgeries and 34 others were examined at hospitals and released
without surgery. Severe adverse events continued to be reported, with a final total of 84 instances of
ischaemic colitis, 113 of severe constipation, 143 admissions to hospital, and 7 deaths. It was the first drug
returned to the U.S. market after withdrawal for safety concerns.
Amphetamine and
Methamphetamine
In the United States, methamphetamine hydrochloride, under the trade name Desoxyn, has been approved by
the FDA for treating ADHD and obesity in both adults and children; however, the FDA also indicates that the
limited therapeutic usefulness of methamphetamine should be weighed against the inherent risks associated
with its use. Methamphetamine is sometimes prescribed off label for narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia.
In the United States, methamphetamine's levorotary form is available in some over-the-counter (OTC) nasal
decongestant products. As methamphetamine is associated with a high potential for misuse, the drug is
regulated under the Controlled Substances Act and is listed under schedule II in the United States.
One of the earliest uses of amphetamine and methamphetamine was during World War II, when they were
used by Axis and Allied forces. As early as 1919, Akira Ogata synthesized methamphetamine via reduction of
ephedrine using red phosphorus and iodine. Later, the chemists Hauschild and Dobke from the German
pharmaceutical company Temmler developed an easier method for converting ephedrine to
methamphetamine. As a result, it was possible for Temmler to market it on a large scale as a nonprescription
drug under the trade name Pervitin (methamphetamine hydrochloride). It was not until 1986 that Pervitin
became a controlled substance, requiring a special prescription to obtain. Pervitin was commonly used by the
German and Finnish militaries.
It was widely distributed across German military ranks and divisions, from elite forces to tank crews and
aircraft personnel, with many millions of tablets being distributed throughout the war for its performance
enhancing stimulant effects and to induce extended wakefulness. Its use by German Tank (Panzer) crews also
led to it being known as Panzerschokolade ("Tank-Chocolates"). It was also colloquially known among
German Luftwaffe pilots as Stuka-Tabletten ("Stuka-Tablets") and Hermann-Goring-Pillen ("Herman-Goring-
Pills"). More than 35 million three-milligram doses of Pervitin were manufactured for the German army and
air force between April and July 1940. From 1942 until his death in 1945, Adolf Hitler was given intravenous
injections of methamphetamine by his personal physician Theodor Morell. In Japan, methamphetamine was
sold under the registered trademark of Philopon by Dainippon Pharmaceuticals (present-day Dainippon
Sumitomo Pharma [DSP]) for civilian and military use. It has been estimated that one billion Phiporon pills
were produced between 1939 and 1945. As with the rest of the world at the time, the side effects of
methamphetamine were not well studied, and regulation was not seen as necessary. In the 1940s and 1950s,
the drug was widely administered to Japanese industrial workers to increase their productivity. In Finland,
Pervitin was colloquially known as hookipulveri ("pep powder"). Its use was essentially restricted to special
forces, especially to long range commandos.
Amphetamine was given to Allied bomber pilots during World War II to sustain them by fighting off fatigue
and enhancing focus during long flights. During the Persian Gulf War, amphetamine became the drug of
choice for American bomber pilots, being used on a voluntary basis by roughly half of U.S. Air Force pilots.
The Tamak Farm incident, in which an American F-16 pilot killed several friendly Canadian soldiers on the
ground, was blamed by the pilot on his use of amphetamine. A nonjudicial (UCMJ Article 15) U.S. Air Force
hearing rejected the pilot's claim.
Aprotinin
Under the trade name Trasylol, aprotinin was used as a medication administered by injection to reduce
bleeding during complex surgery, such as heart and liver surgery. Its main effect is the slowing down of
fibrinolysis, the process that leads to the breakdown of blood clots. The aim in its use was to decrease the
need for blood transfusions during surgery, as well as end-organ damage due to hypotension (low blood
pressure) as a result of marked blood loss. The drug was temporarily withdrawn worldwide in 2007 after
studies suggested that its use increased the risk of complications or death; this was confirmed by follow-up
studies. Trasylol sales were suspended in May 2008, except for very restricted research use. In February 2012
the European Medicines Agency (EMA) scientific committee reverted its previous standpoint regarding
aprotinin, and has recommended that the suspension be lifted. Nordic became distributor of aprotinin in 2012.
On October 25, 2007, the FDA issued a statement regarding the "Blood conservation using antifibrinolytics"
(BART) randomized trial in a cardiac surgery population. The preliminary findings suggest that, compared to
other antifibrinolytic drugs (epsilon-aminocaproic acid and tranexamic acid) aprotinin may increase the risk
of death. On October 29, 2006 the Food and Drag Administration issued a warning that aprotinin may have
serious kidney and cardiovascular toxicity. The producer, Bayer, reported to the FDA that additional
observation studies showed that it may increase the chance for death, serious kidney damage, congestive heart
failure and strokes. FDA warned clinicians to consider limiting use to those situations where the clinical
benefit of reduced blood loss is essential to medical management and outweighs the potential risks. On
November 5, 2007, Bayer announced that it was withdrawing Aprotinin because of a Canadian study that
showed it increased the risk of death when used to prevent bleeding during heart surgery.
Benoxaprofen
Benoxaprofen, also known as Benoxaphen, is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and was marketed under
the brand name Oraflex in the United States and as Opren in Europe by Eli Lilly and Company. Lilly
suspended sales of Oraflex in 1982 after reports from the British government and the U.S. Food and Drag
Administration (FDA) of adverse effects and deaths linked to the drag. When benoxaprofen was on the
market as Oraflex in the USA the first sign of trouble came for the Lilly Company. The British Medical
Journal reported in May 1982 that physicians in the UK believed that the drug was responsible for at least 12
deaths, mainly caused by kidney and liver failure. A petition was filed to have Oraflex removed from the
market. On the fourth of August 1982 the British government temporarily suspended sales of the drug in UK
‘on grounds of safety’. The British Committee on the Safety of Medicines declared, in a telegram to the FDA,
that it had received reports of more than 3,500 adverse side-effects among patients who had used Oraflex.
There were also 61 deaths, most of which were of elderly people. Almost simultaneously, the FDA said it had
reports of 1 1 deaths in the USA among Oraflex users, most of which were caused by kidney and liver damage.
Cerivastatin
Cerivastatin is a synthetic member of the class of statins used to lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular
disease. It was marketed by the pharmaceutical company Bayer A. G. in the late 1990s, competing with
Pfizer's highly successful atorvastatin (Lipitor). Cerivastatin was voluntarily withdrawn from the market
worldwide in 2001, due to reports of fatal rhabdomyolysis. During postmarketing surveillance, 52 deaths
were reported in patients using cerivastatin, mainly from rhabdomyolysis and its resultant renal failure
Dexfenfluramine
Dexfenfluramine was, for some years in the mid-1990s, approved by the United States Food and Drug
Administration for the purposes of weight loss. Flowever, following multiple concerns about the
cardiovascular side-effects of the drug, the FDA withdrew the approval in 1997. After it was removed in the
US, dexfenfluramine was also pulled out in other global markets. It was later superseded by sibutramine,
which, although initially considered a safer alternative to both dexfenfluramine and fenfluramine, was
likewise removed from the US market in 2010.
Dcxtropropoxyphene
Dcxtropropoxyphene is an analgesic in the opioid category, it is intended to treat mild pain and also has
antitussive (cough suppressant) and local anaesthetic effects. The drag has been taken off the market in
Europe and the US due to concerns of fatal overdoses and heart arrhythmias. Dcxtropropoxyphene is subject
to some controversy: while many physicians prescribe it for a wide range of mildly to moderately painful
symptoms, as well as for treatment of diarrhea, many others refuse to prescribe it, citing limited effectiveness.
In addition, the therapeutic index of dextroproxyphene is relatively narrow.
Caution should be used when administering dextropropoxyphene, particularly with children and the elderly
and with patients who may be pregnant or breast feeding; other reported problems include kidney, liver or
respiratory disorders, and prolonged use. Attention should be paid to concomitant use with tranquillizers,
antidepressants or excess alcohol. Darvon, a dextropropoxyphene formulation made by Eh Lilly, which had
been on the market for 25 years, came under heavy fire in 1978 by consumer groups that said it was
associated with suicide. Darvon was never withdrawn from the market, until recently. But Lilly has waged a
sweeping, and largely successful, campaign among doctors, pharmacists and Darvon users to defend the drag
as safe when it is used in proper doses and not mixed with alcohol. After determining the risks outweigh the
benefits, the USFDA requested physicians stop prescribing the drug. On November 19, 2010 the FDA
announced that Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals agreed to withdraw Darvon and Darvocet in the United States,
followed by manufacturers of dextropropoxyphene.
Diethyls tilbestrol
Diethylstilbestrol is a synthetic, non-steroidal estrogen of the stilbestrol group that was first synthesized in
1938. It is also classified as an endocrine disruptor. Human exposure to DES occurred through diverse
sources, such as dietary ingestion from supplemented cattle feed and medical treatment for certain conditions,
including breast and prostate cancers. From about 1940 to 1971, DES was given to pregnant women in the
mistaken belief it would reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and losses.
In 1971, DES was shown to cause clear cell carcinoma, a rare vaginal tumor in girls and women who had
been exposed to this drug in utero. The United States Food and Drug Administration subsequently withdrew
approval of DES as a treatment for pregnant women. Follow-up studies have indicated that DES also has the
potential to cause a variety of significant adverse medical complications during the lifetimes of those exposed.
The United States National Cancer Institute recommends women born to mothers who took DES undergo
special medical exams on a regular basis to screen for complications as a result of the drug.
The greatest usage of DES was in the livestock industry, used to improve feed conversion in beef and poultry.
During the 1960s, DES was used as a growth hormone in the beef and poultry industries. It was later found to
cause cancer by 1971, but was not phased out until 1979. When DES was discovered to be harmful to
humans, it was moved to veterinary use.
Fenfluramine and
Phentennine
The drag combination fenfluramine/phentermine, usually called fen-phen, was an anti-obesity treatment that
utilized two anorectics. Fenfluramine was marketed by American Home Products (later known as Wyeth) as
Pondimin, but was shown to cause potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension and heart valve problems, which
eventually led to its withdrawal and legal damages of over $13 billion. Phentennine was not shown to have
harmful effects.
Lysergic Acid
Diethylamide
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known as acid, is a psychedelic drug known for its psychological
effects. This may include altered awareness of the surroundings, perceptions, and feelings as well as
sensations and images that seem real though they are not. In the 1950s and 1960s LSD was used in psychiatry
to enhance psychotherapy known as psychedelic therapy. Some psychiatrists [who?] believed LSD was
especially useful at helping patients to "unblock" repressed subconscious material through other
psychotherapeutic methods, and also for treating alcoholism. One study concluded, "The root of the
therapeutic value of the LSD experience is its potential for producing self-acceptance and self-surrender,"
presumably by forcing the user to face issues and problems in that individual's psyche. Two recent reviews
concluded that conclusions drawn from most of these early trials are unreliable due to serious methodological
flaws. These include the absence of adequate control groups, lack of followup, and vague criteria for
therapeutic outcome. In many cases studies failed to convincingly demonstrate whether the drag or the
therapeutic interaction was responsible for any beneficial effects.
Methaqualone
Methaqualone, sold under the brand name Quaalude. The sedative-hypnotic activity of methaqualone was
first noted by researchers in the 1950s. In 1962, methaqualone was patented in the US by Wallace and
Tiernan. By 1965, it was the most commonly prescribed sedative in Britain, where it has been sold legally
under the names Malsed, Malsedin, and Renoval. In 1965, a methaqualone/antihistamine combination was
sold as the sedative drug Mandrax, by Roussel Laboratories (now part of Sanofi-Aventis). In 1972, it was the
sixth-bestselling sedative in the US, where it was legal under the brand name Quaalude. Its use peaked in the
early 1970s as a hypnotic, for the treatment of insomnia, and as a sedative and muscle relaxant. Methaqualone
peaks in the bloodstream within several hours, with a half-life of 20-60 hours. Regular users build up a
physical tolerance, requiring larger doses for the same effect. Overdose can lead to nervous system shutdown,
coma and death. An overdose can cause delirium, convulsions, hypertonia, hyperreflexia, vomiting, kidney
failure, coma, and death through cardiac or respiratory arrest. It resembles barbiturate poisoning, but with
increased motor difficulties and a lower incidence of cardiac or respiratory depression. The standard one
tablet adult dose of Quaalude was 300 mg when made by Lemmon. A dose of 8000 mg is lethal and a dose as
little as 2000 mg could induce a coma if taken with an alcoholic beverage.
Methylhexanamine
Methylhexanamine (trade names Forthane, Geranamine) or methylhexamine, commonly known as 1,3-
dimethylamylamine (1,3-DMAA) or simply dimethylamylamine (DMAA), is an indirect sympathomimetic
drug invented and developed by Eli Lilly and Company and marketed as an inhaled nasal decongestant from
1944 until it was voluntarily withdrawn from the market in 1983.
Since 2006 methylhexanamine has been sold extensively under many names as a stimulant or energy-boosting
dietary supplement under the claim that it is similar to certain compounds found in geraniums, but its safety
has been questioned as a number of adverse events and at least five deaths have been associated with
methylhexanamine-containing supplements. It is banned by many sports authorities and governmental
agencies. The FDA has stated that methylhexanamine "is known to narrow the blood vessels and arteries,
which can elevate blood pressure and may lead to cardiovascular events ranging from shortness of breath and
tightening in the chest to heart attack." Numerous adverse events and at least five deaths have been reported
in association with methylhexanamine-containing dietary supplements.
Natalizumab
Natalizumab is used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease. Natalizumab was approved in
2004 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It was subsequently withdrawn from the market by
its manufacturer after it was linked with three cases of the rare neurological condition progressive multifocal
leukoencephalopathy (PML) when administered in combination with interferon beta- la, another
immunosuppressive drug often used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. After a review of safety
information and no further deaths, the drug was returned to the US market in 2006 under a special
prescription program. As of June 2009, ten cases of PML were known. However, twenty-four cases of PML
had been reported since its reintroduction by October 2009, showing a sharp rise in the number of fatalities
and prompting a review of the chemical for human use by the European Medicines Agency. By January 2010,
3 1 cases of PML were attributed to natalizumab. The FDA did not withdraw the drug from the market because
its clinical benefits outweigh the risks involved.
Obetrol
Obetrol was the brand of amphetamine mixed salts based drugs indicated for treatment of exogenous obesity
by the American pharmaceutical company Obetrol Pharmaceuticals. Obetrol was a popular diet pill in
America in the 1950s and 1960s. A formulation of amphetamine mixed salts that included methamphetamine
was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 19, 1960 under the name Obetrol.
Between 1965 and 1973, this fonnula was offered in 10 mg and 20 mg strength through Obetrol
Pharmaceuticals division of an American pharmaceutical company Rexar under the trade name Obetrol. Its
indication was for exogenous obesity. Obetrol was withdrawn from the market in 1973 under DESI statute.
Rexar reformulated Obetrol to exclude methamphetamine and continued to sell this new formulation under
the same Obetrol brand name. This new unapproved formulation was later rebranded and sold as Adderall by
Richwood after it acquired Rexar resulting in FDA warning in 1994. When Richwood acquired Rexar, the
drug's name was changed from Obetrol to Adderall, and the drug was marketed for use in the treatment of
Attention Deficit Disorder (in both children and adults).
Oxymorphone
Oxymorphone, sold under the brand names Numorphan among others, is a powerful semi-synthetic opioid
analgesic (painkiller) developed 1914 in Germany. In June 2017, the FDA asked Endo Pharmaceuticals to
remove Opana ER from the US market, because vis a vis the opioid epidemic the drug's benefits may no
longer outweigh its risks, this being the first time the agency has taken steps to remove a currently marketed
opioid pain medication from sale due to public health consequences of abuse.
Phenformin
Phenformin is an antidiabetic drug from the biguanide class. It was marketed as DBI by Ciba-Geigy, but was
withdrawn from most markets in the late 1970s due to a high risk of lactic acidosis, which was fatal in 50% of
cases. Phenformin sales began to decline in the US from 1973 due to negative trial studies and reports of
lactic acidosis. By October 1976, the FDA Endocrinology and Metabolism Advisory Committee
recommended phenformin be removed from the market. The FDA began formal proceedings in May 1977,
leading to its eventual withdrawal on November 15, 1978.
Rimonabant
Rimonabant (trade names Acomplia, Zimulti) was an anorectic antiobesity drug that was first approved in
Europe in 2006 but was withdrawn worldwide in 2008 due to serious psychiatric side effects; it was never
approved in the United States. Rimonabant is an inverse agonist for the cannabinoid receptor CB1 and was
the first drug approved in that class. In October 2008, the European Medicines Agency recommended the
suspension of Acomplia after the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) had determined
that the risks of Acomplia outweighed its benefits due to the risk of serious psychiatric problems, including
suicide.
Rofecoxib
Rofecoxib is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that has now been withdrawn over safety
concerns. It was marketed by Merck & Co. to treat osteoarthritis, acute pain conditions, and dysmenorrhea.
Rofecoxib was approved by the U.S. Food and Drag Administration (FDA) on May 20, 1999, and was
marketed under the brand names Vioxx, Ceoxx, and Ceeoxx. Rofecoxib gained widespread acceptance among
physicians treating patients with arthritis and other conditions causing chronic or acute pain. Worldwide, over
80 million people were prescribed rofecoxib at some time. On September 30, 2004, Merck withdrew
rofecoxib from the market because of concerns about increased risk of heart attack and stroke associated with
long-tenn, high-dosage use. Merck withdrew the drag after disclosures that it withheld infonnation about
rofecoxib's risks from doctors and patients for over five years, resulting in between 88,000 and 140,000 cases
of serious heart disease. Rofecoxib was one of the most widely used drugs ever to be withdrawn from the
market. In the year before withdrawal, Merck had sales revenue of US$2.5 billion from Vioxx. Merck
reserved $970 million to pay for its Vioxx-related legal expenses through 2007, and has set aside $4.85bn for
legal claims from US citizens.
Rosiglitazone
Rosiglitazone (trade name Avandia) is an antidiabetic drag in the thiazolidinedione class. It works as an
insulin sensitizer, by binding to the PPAR in fat cells and making the cells more responsive to insulin. It is
marketed by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as a stand-alone drug or for use in
combination with metformin or with glimepiride. First released in 1999, annual sales peaked at approximately
$2. 5-billion in 2006; however, following a meta-analysis published in the New England Journal of Medicine
in 2007 that linked the drug's use to an increased risk of heart attack, sales plummeted to just $9. 5-million in
2012. The drug's patent expired in 2012.
Despite rosiglitazone's effectiveness at decreasing blood sugar in type 2 diabetes mellitus, its use decreased
dramatically as studies showed apparent associations with increased risks of heart attacks and death. Adverse
effects alleged to be caused by rosiglitazone were the subject of over 13,000 lawsuits against GSK; as of July
2010, GSK had agreed to settlements on more than 11,500 of these suits. In Europe, the European Medicines
Agency (EM A) recommended in September 2010 that the drag be suspended from the European market
because the benefits of rosiglitazone no longer outweighed the risks. It was withdrawn from the market in the
UK and India in 2010, and in New Zealand and South Africa in 201 1.
In 2012, the U.S. Justice Department announced GlaxoSmithKline had agreed to plead guilty and pay a $3
billion fine, in part for withholding the results of two studies of the cardiovascular safety of Avandia between
2001 and 2007. The settlement stems from claims made by four employees of GlaxoSmithKline, including a
former senior marketing development manager for the company and a regional vice president, who tipped off
the government about a range of improper practices from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s.
Following the reports in 2007 that Avandia can significantly increase the risk of heart attacks, the drug has
been controversial. A 2010 article in Time uses the Avandia case as evidence of a broken FDA regulatory
system that "may prove criminal as well as fatal". It details the disclosure failures, adding, "Congressional
reports revealed that GSK sat on early evidence of the heart risks of its drug, and that the FDA knew of the
dangers months before it informed the public." It reports, "the FDA is investigating whether GSK broke the
law by failing to fully inform the agency of Avandia's heart risks", according to deputy FDA commissioner
Dr. Joshua Sharfstein. GSK threatened academics who reported adverse research results, and received
multiple warning letters from the FDA for deceptive marketing and failure to report clinical data. The maker
of the drug, GlaxoSmithKline, has dealt with serious backlash against the company for the drag's controversy.
Sales on the drug dropped significantly after the story first broke in 2007, dropping from $2.5 billion in 2006
to less than $408 million in 2009 in the US.
Sibutramine
Sibutramine (usually in the fonn of the hydrochloride monohydrate salt) is an oral anorexiant. It was sold
under a variety of brand names including Reductil, Meridia, Siredia, and Sibutrex. Until 2010 it was marketed
and prescribed as an adjunct in the treatment of exogenous obesity along with diet and exercise. It has been
associated with increased cardiovascular events and strokes and has been withdrawn from the market in
several countries and regions including Australia, Canada, China, the European Union (EU), Hong Kong,
India, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Temafloxacin
Temafloxacin (marketed by Abbott Laboratories as Omniflox) is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic drag which was
withdrawn from sale in the United States shortly after its approval. Omniflox was approved to treat lower
respiratory tract infections, genital and urinary infections like prostatitis, and skin infections in the United
States by the Food and Drug Administration in January 1992. Severe adverse reactions, including allergic
reactions and hemolytic anemia, developed in over 100 patients during the first four months of its use, leading
to three patient deaths. Abbott withdrew the drag from sale in June 1992.
Thalidomide
Thalidomide was first marketed in 1957 in West Germany under the trade-name Contergan. The German drug
company Chemie Griinenthal developed and sold the drag. Primarily prescribed as a sedative or hypnotic,
thalidomide also claimed to cure "anxiety, insomnia, gastritis, and tension". Afterwards, it was used against
nausea and to alleviate morning sickness in pregnant women. Thalidomide became an over-the-counter drug
in West Germany on October 1, 1957. Shortly after the drug was sold in West Germany, between 5,000 and
7,000 infants were bom with phocomelia (malformation of the limbs). Only 40% of these children survived.
Throughout the world, about 10,000 cases were reported of infants with phocomelia due to thalidomide; only
50% of the 10,000 survived. Those subjected to thalidomide while in the womb experienced limb deficiencies
in a way that the long limbs either were not developed or presented themselves as stumps. Other effects
included deformed eyes and hearts, deformed alimentary and urinary tracts, blindness and deafness. The
negative effects of thalidomide led to the development of more structured drug regulations and control over
drug use and development.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, more than 10,000 children in 46 countries were born with defonnities such
as phocomelia as a consequence of thalidomide use. The severity and location of the deformities depended on
how many days into the pregnancy the mother was before beginning treatment; thalidomide taken on the 20th
day of pregnancy caused central brain damage, day 21 would damage the eyes, day 22 the ears and face, day
24 the arms, and leg damage would occur if taken up to day 28. Thalidomide did not damage the fetus if taken
after 42 days gestation. It is not known exactly how many worldwide victims of the drug there have been,
although estimates range from 10,000 to 20,000 to 100,000. Despite the side effects, thalidomide was sold in
pharmacies in Canada until 1962. In the United Kingdom, the drug was licensed in 1958 and withdrawn in
1961. Of the approximately 2,000 babies born with defects, around half died within a few months and 466
survived to at least 2010. In Spain, thalidomide was widely available throughout the 1970s, perhaps even into
the 1980s. There were two reasons for this. First, state controls and safeguarding were poor; indeed, it was not
until 2008 that the government even admitted the country had ever imported thalidomide. Second, Griinenthal
failed to insist that its sister company in Madrid warn Spanish doctors, and pennitted it to not warn them. The
Spanish advocacy group for victims of thalidomide estimates that in 2015, there were 250-300 living victims
of thalidomide in Spain.
Tienilic acid
Tienilic acid (INN and BAN) or ticrynafen (USAN) is a loop diuretic drug with uric acid-lowering
(uricosuric) action, formerly marketed for the treatment of hypertension. It was approved by FDA on May 2,
1979, and withdrawn in 1982, after case reports in the United States indicated a link between the use of
ticrynafen and hepatitis. Criminal charges were brought against SmithKline executives with regard to hiding
data related to toxicity while gaining FDA approval. The company pleaded guilty to 14 counts of failure to
report adverse reactions and 20 counts of selling a misbranded drug.
Triparanol
Triparanol was patented in 1959 and introduced in the United States in 1960, was the first synthetic
cholesterol- lowering drug. It was withdrawn in 1962 due to severe adverse effects such as nausea and
vomiting, vision loss due to irreversible cataracts, alopecia, skin disorders (e.g., dryness, itching, peeling, and
"fish-scale" texture), and accelerated atherosclerosis and is now considered to be obsolete
Troglitazone
Troglitazone (Rezulin, Resulin, Romozin, Noscal) is an antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory drug, and a
member of the drug class of the thiazolidinediones. It was prescribed for patients with diabetes mellitus type
2. It was developed by Daiichi Sankyo (Japan). In the United States, it was introduced and manufactured by
Parke -Davis in the late 1990s, but turned out to be associated with an idiosyncratic reaction leading to drug-
induced hepatitis. The FDA medical officer assigned to evaluate troglitazone, John Gueriguian, did not
recommend its approval due to potential high liver toxicity; Parke -Davis complained to the FDA and
Gueriguian was subsequently removed from his post. A full panel of experts approved it in January 1997.
Once the prevalence of adverse liver effects became known, troglitazone was withdrawn from the British
market in December 1997, from the United States market in 2000, and from the Japanese market soon
afterwards. It did not get approval in the rest of Europe. On March 21, 2000, the FDA withdrew the drug from
the market. Dr. Robert I. Misbin, an FDA medical officer, wrote in a July 3, 2000 letter to the House Energy
and Commerce Committee of strong evidence that Rezulin could not be used safely, after having been
threatened by the FDA with dismissal in March 2000. By that time the drug had been linked to 63 liver- failure
deaths and had generated sales of more than $2.1 billion for Warner-Lambert
Trovafloxacin
Trovafloxacin (sold as Trovan by Pfizer and Turvel by Laboratories Almirall) was a broad spectrum antibiotic
that inhibits the uncoiling of supercoiled DNA in various bacteria by blocking the activity of DNA gyrase and
topoisomerase IV. It was withdrawn from the market due to the risk of hepatotoxicity. In 1996, during a
meningitis epidemic in Kano, Nigeria, the drag was administered to approximately 200 infected children.
Eleven children died in the trial: five after taking Trovan and six after taking an older antibiotic used for
comparison in the clinical trial. Others suffered blindness, deafness and brain damage, common sequalae of
meningitis that have not been seen in patients treated with trovafloxacin for other infection types. An
investigation by the Washington Post concluded that Pfizer had administered the drug as part of an illegal
clinical trial without authorization from the Nigerian government or consent from the children's parents. The
case came to light in December 2000 as the result of an investigation by The Washington Post, and sparked
significant public outcry.
Valdecoxib
Valdecoxib is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used in the treatment of osteoarthritis,
rheumatoid arthritis, and painful menstruation and menstrual symptoms. It is a selective cyclooxygenase-2
inhibitor. Valdecoxib was manufactured and marketed under the brand name Bextra by G. D. Searle &
Company as an anti-inflammatory arthritis drag. It was approved by the United States Food and Drag
Administration on November 20, 2001, to treat arthritis and menstrual cramps, and was available by
prescription in tablet fonn until 2005 when the FDA requested that Pfizer withdraw Bextra from the American
market. The FDA cited "potential increased risk for serious cardiovascular (CV) adverse events," an
"increased risk of serious skin reactions" and the "fact that Bextra has not been shown to offer any unique
advantages over the other available NSAIDs." In September 2009 Bextra was at the center of the "largest
health care fraud settlement and the largest criminal fine of any kind ever." Pfizer paid a $2.3 billion civil and
criminal fine. Pharmacia and Upjohn, a Pfizer subsidiary, violated the United States Food, Drug and Cosmetic
Act for misbranding Bextra "with the intent to defraud or mislead."
Zolpidem
Zolpidem (originally marketed as Ambien and available worldwide under many brand names) is a sedative
primarily used for the treatment of insomnia. It works quickly, usually within 15 minutes, and has a short
half-life of two to three hours. Zolpidem has not adequately demonstrated effectiveness in maintaining sleep,
unless delivered in a controlled-release (CR) form. However, it is effective in initiating sleep. Zolpidem
addresses sleep-initiation problems, but is not effective in maintaining sleep. Also, a 2012 NIH study showed
that Zolpidem's effectiveness is nearly as much due to psychological effects as to the drug itself, so "increased
attention should be directed at psychological intervention of insomnia."
Some users have reported unexplained sleepwalking while using zolpidem, as well as sleep driving, Night
eating syndrome while asleep, and performing other daily tasks while sleeping. Research by Australia's
National Prescribing Service found these events occur mostly after the first dose taken, or within a few days
of starting therapy. Rare reports of sexual parasomnia (sleep sex) episodes related to zolpidem intake have
also been reported. Sleepwalkers can sometimes perform these tasks as normally as they might if they were
awake. Residual 'hangover' effects, such as sleepiness and impaired psychomotor and cognitive function, may
persist into the day following nighttime administration. Such effects may impair the ability of users to drive
safely and increase risks of falls and hip fractures. In February 2008, the Australian Therapeutic Goods
Administration attached a boxed warning to zolpidem, stating that "Zolpidem may be associated with
potentially dangerous complex sleep-related behaviors that may include sleep walking, sleep driving, and
other bizarre behaviours.
The United States Air Force uses zolpidem as one of the hypnotics approved as a "no-go pill" (with a 6-hour
restriction on subsequent flight operation) to help aviators and special duty personnel sleep in support of
mission readiness. (The other hypnotics used are temazepam and zaleplon.) "Ground tests" are required prior
to authorization issued to use the medication in an operational situation.
| SOURCE: Wikipedia (with some corrections, additions, and other edits) 1
Death and other Medical Statistics
It should be noted that many low- and middle-income countries do not have systems in place for collecting
information on causes of death, so all worldwide estimates are based on incomplete data and could be much
higher. Of the 56,400,000 deaths worldwide in 2015, heart disease and stroke accounted for 15,000,000 deaths
and they have been the leading causes of death globally for the last 15 years. Chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease killed 3,200,000 Homo sapiens, diabetes killed 1,600,000 Homo sapiens, tuberculosis killed 1,400,000
Homo sapiens, and there were an estimated 1 ,400,000 Homo sapiens worldwide that died from a diarrheal
disease. In low-income countries 52% of all deaths in 2015 were caused by communicable diseases. (358) (e.g.
maternal causes, conditions arising during pregnancy and childbirth, and nutritional deficiencies) The World
Health Organization (WHO) reported that environmental risks, (e.g. indoor and outdoor air pollution, second¬
hand smoke, unsafe water, lack of sanitation, and inadequate hygiene) take the lives of 1,700,000 children under
5 years of age every year, which equates to 3 children dying every minute of easily preventable causes. (383)
How can easily preventable diseases and medical conditions still claim the lives of so many? UNICEF reported
that,
"About 29,000 children under the age of five - 21 each minute - die every day, mainly from preventable causes. More than 70
per cent of almost 1 1 million child deaths every year are attributable to six causes: diarrhoea, malaria, neonatal infection,
pneumonia, pretenn delivery, or lack of oxygen at birth." (204)
A 20 15 WHO report concluded that noncommunicable diseases (NCD) were the leading cause of death
worldwide. The report stated,
"In 2012, an estimated 52% of all deaths under age 70 was due to NCDs, and two thirds of those deaths were caused by
cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease (CRD)."
"NCDs are estimated to kill around 38 million people per year, accounting for 68% of all deaths worldwide, 1 and the main
NCDs (CVD, cancers, CRD and diabetes), taken singly, are among the top 10 leading killers. Nearly 80% of NCD deaths -
30 million - occurs in low-, middle- and non-OECD high-income countries, where NCDs are fast replacing infectious
diseases and malnutrition as the leading causes of disability and premature death. Despite their obvious and growing
significance, NCDs have long been hidden, misunderstood and underrecorded. They were passed over in the MDGs, which,
by focusing attention on other issues, may have actually contributed to the sidelining of this core public health concern in
global health."
"In terms of mortality, the leading NCD is cardiovascular disease (CVD), which claimed 17.5 million lives in 2012 (46% of
all NCD deaths), 6 million of which were people under age 70 Of those 17.5 million deaths, 7.4 million were due to coronary
heart disease (heart attacks) and 6.7 million to stroke. Cancers kill around half as many (8.2 million, with 4.3 million under
age 70), while CRD and diabetes accounted for 4.0 million and 1.5 million deaths, respectively. 1 Diabetes is also a risk factor
for CVD, with about 11% of cardiovascular deaths attributed to high blood glucose."
“Globally, the prevalence of diabetes continues to increase The leading risk factors for type 2 diabetes are excess body weight
and physical inactivity. Diabetes is highly correlated with the global prevalence of obesity, which has nearly doubled since
1980. In 2014, 11% of men and 15% of women age 18 and older were obese, while more than 42 million children under five
years were overweight in 2013 It is encouraging to note, however, that a few high-income countries have managed to slow or
halt the increase in obesity prevalence in children, 14, 15 which may eventually help to stabilize diabetes prevalence. In 2012,
diabetes was the direct cause of 1 .5 million deaths (4% of all NCD deaths), 46% of which occurred under age 70.”
“Many of the products associated with the development of NCDs make companies money.. .Globalization of marketing and
trade offers unprecedented opportunities for companies to promote products leading to tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol,
consumption of food that is high in fat, especially saturated and trans fats, sugars, and salt/sodium, and sedentary lifestyles,
often taking advantage of the weaker regulatory frameworks in many low- and middle-income countries.” (413)
Cancer can be caused by physical, chemical, or oncogenic carcinogens, and while it is often very difficult to find
the exact source of the cancer, most evidence will point to something the victim was exposed to throughout their
lifetime, sometimes even being self-inflicted through dietary or other lifestyle choices. As there are so many
agents in the world which can cause cancer, and too often there is very little investigation done into the cause of
the cancer, the cause usually remains a mystery. Worldwide cancer is the second leading cause of death claiming
8,800,000 lives in 2015. In 2012, more than 14,000,000 new cancer cases were diagnosed, and this number is
expected to rise by 70% over the next 2 decades. (607) While much research has been done, and new technologies
can now be used to help with early diagnosis and control, no cure exists utilizing modern-day mainstream
medicine. Is there a direct or even indirect connection between the use of some toxic chemicals and exploding
cancer rates over the last 1 00 years? If there never really is a direct connection to these toxic chemicals, will they
ever be seen as one of the possible sources of this cancer epidemic?
In the United States, an estimated 30,200,000 adults aged 18 years or older had diabetes in 2015, while an
estimated 84,000,000 adults aged 18 years or older had prediabetes, equating to 46.1% of the adult population.
(436) Again, one might be led to believe that there is a serious problem with the society’s food sources and
lifestyle choices when 46. 1% of the United States adult population has diabetes or prediabetes. Worldwide, over
50% of indigenous adults over the age of 35 have type 2 diabetes. (494)
Leading Causes of Death in United States
Cause of Death
Total Deaths Per Year
Heart disease
614,348
Cancer
591,699
Chronic lower respiratory diseases
147,101
Accidents (unintentional injuries)
136,053
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases)
133,103
Adverse Drag Reaction (1998 Estimated no official or updated statistics) (458)
106,000
Alzheimer's disease
93,541
Diabetes
76,488
Dmg Overdose (heroin, natural and semi -synthetic opioids, methadone, synthetic opioids
excluding methadone, cocaine, or psychostimulants with abuse potential) (535)
64,070
Influenza and pneumonia
55,227
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis
48,146
Intentional self-harm (suicide)
42,773
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics - Health, United States, 2015: With Special Feature on Racial and Ethnic Health
Disparities Hvattsville. MD.2016. Library of Congress Catalog Number 76-641496 - httns://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/husl5.Ddf
(458) Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients: a meta-analysis of prospective studies - April 15, 1998 - by: Lazarou
J, Pomeranz BH, and Corey PN - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9555760
(535) CDC • National Center for Health Statistics • National Vital Statistics System - PROVISIONAL COUNTS OF DRUG
OVERDOSE DEATHS, as of 8/6/2017 - https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/health policv/monthlv-drug-overdose-death-estimates.pdf
Mental Health and Drug Addiction
In 2013, there were 61,700,000 Americans that visited a physician's office with a mental disorder as the primary
diagnosis. (443) In addition, another 4,700,000 Americans visited an emergency department with a mental
disorder as the primary diagnosis. (444) Very few species on Earth have ever been observed committing suicide,
and it is often a result of Homo sapiens confining a species and causing so much stress that it refuses to eat and
just simply shuts down losing the will to live, and ultimately dies of sadness. Homo sapiens are the only species
on Earth that commit suicide on a mass scale. In 2012, an estimated 804,000 Homo sapiens committed suicide
globally. (413) What does it say about a society when 804,000 members of society lose the will to live from
sadness, anger, or another emotion ultimately committing suicide? When the members of a society begin to
commit suicide perhaps there is something seriously wrong within parts of the society itself.
In December 2016, after releasing videos in which she talked about being bullied at school and being sexually
and physically abused by her stepfather, 12-year old Katelyn Nicole Davis live streamed her suicide on social
media. Less than a month later on January 26, 2017, two days after having been beaten by fellow students and
found unconscious in a school bathroom, 8 -year-old Gabriel Taye committed suicide. Later that year on March
14, 2017 an 11-year-old boy committed suicide after his girlfriend faked her own death. Then on June 14, 2017,
after being taunted at school and on social media, 12-year-old Mallory Grossman committed suicide. A similar
bullying situation in South Carolina resulted in 1 1 -year-old Toni Rivers committing suicide on October 25, 2017,
and another incident in California of prolonged bullying over years eventually led to 13-year-old Rosalie Avile
hanging herself in December 2017. Have children become so disconnected with their friends, parents, or other
mentors that they commit suicide instead of getting help from an adult? What does it say about society when
children are taught and allowed to bully other children to the point of suicide? What does it say about society
when children are committing suicide?
Stress and depression caused mainly by social factors have led some to abuse alcohol and drugs to the point of
self-destruction, incarceration, or death. In the United States, an estimated 88,000 Homo sapiens die from
alcohol-related causes each year. Worldwide, there were 3,300,000 deaths of Homo sapiens which were
attributed to alcohol consumption in 2012. (538) Beginning in the late 1990s, United States healthcare providers
began widely prescribing opioids to treat chronic pain. This ultimately resulted in a billion-dollar opioid
prescription drug market and an opioid drug epidemic which has plagued many parts of the United States. In
2010, there were 38,329 Homo sapiens in the United States that died of a drug overdose, and in 2014 this
number increased 23% to 47,055. The 10 drugs most frequently involved in overdose deaths were heroin,
oxycodone, methadone, morphine, hydrocodone, fentanyl, alprazolam, diazepam, cocaine, and
methamphetamine. (356) In the United States, there were 52,898 overdose deaths in 2016, of which 9,945
resulted from synthetic opioids excluding methadone, by 2017 the number of overdoses increased to 64,070 with
20,145 caused from synthetic opioids excluding methadone. (535) There were 197,713 deaths in the United States
from prescription opioid overdoses between 2000 and 20016. (620) OxyContin was released into the United
States market in 1996, and when prescriptions for the drug peaked in 2012, doctors were writing enough
prescriptions for every American adult to have a bottle. Since the peak in 2012 there has been a decline in opioid
prescriptions and yet an increase in opioid related overdose deaths. (357) The CDC reported that in 2015 the
number of opioids prescribed in the United States was enough for every American to be medicated around the
clock for 3 weeks. (399) How can the United States spend more than $4,000,000,000,000 on the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars halfway around the world, while only spending $2,500,000,000 to help Mexico in fighting the
drug war which has claimed more than 100,000 civilians and police? Why doesn’t the United States government
focus more on this drug war which is happening within the United States and in neighboring Mexico? Would
simply legalizing all drugs end the drug war? Could rampant drug use be prevented simply through education
and social changes?
Estimated Age-adjusted Death Rates? for Drug Poisoning
by County, United States: 1999
Legend for Estimated Age-adjusted Death Rate per 100,000
■ 0-2 □ 8.1-10 □ 16.1-18 ■ 26.1-28
■ 2.1-4 □ 10 1-12 □ 18.1-20
□ 4.1-6 □ 12.1-14 H 20.1-22
□ 6.1-8 □ 14.1-16 B 22.1-24
SOURCE: CDC - Drug Poisoning Mortality in the United States, 1999-2015 - https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data-visualization/dmg-
poisoning-mortalitv/
Estimated Age-adjusted Death Rates? for Drug Poisoning
by County, United States: 2015
Legend for Estimated Age-adjusted Death Rate per 100,000
■ 0-2 □ 8.1-10 □ 16.1-18
■ 2.1-4 □ 10.1-12 □ 18.1-20
□ 4.1-6 □ 12.1-14 □ 20.1-22
□ 6.1-8 □ 14.1-16 @ 22.1-24
■ 24 1-26
■ 26 1-28
■ 28.1-30
SOURCE: CDC - Drug Poisoning Mortality in the United States, 1999-2015 - https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data-visualization/dmg-
poisoning-mortality/
Why has the FDA and DEA allowed opioids to be prescribed so easily and for so long when there is such a
prevalent prescription opioid epidemic with rapidly increasing rates of addiction and overdoses, many of which
result in death? How did this fatal prescription opioid epidemic begin? Former DEA deputy assistant
administrator Joe Rannazzisi told 60 Minutes that pharmaceutical distributors Cardinal Health, McKesson, and
AmerisourceBergen, which control most of the industry, allowed millions of pharmaceutical opioid painkillers to
go into what he described as bad pharmacies and doctor offices, which then distributed them to patients that had
no legitimate medical need for the drugs. Drug companies then lobbied in Washington D.C. to get the Ensuring
Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act passed, which limited the Drug Enforcement
Administration’s ability to stop the prescription opioid epidemic. Joe Rannazzisi told 60 minutes,
“Because I think that the drug industry — the manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and chain drugstores —
have an influence over Congress that has never been seen before. And these people came in with their influence
and their money and got a whole statute changed because they didn't like it” (619)
Countries with the Highest Rates of Burden of Disease for Mental Illness and Behavioral Related Disorders
Overall
Depression
Anxiety
Alcohol and Illegal Drug Use
China
India
India
China
India
China
China
India
United States
United States
United States
United States
Russia
Indonesia
Brazil
Russia
Brazil
Brazil
Indonesia
Brazil
SOURCE: World Health Organization - Global Burden Diseases 2002 to 2012 - Health statistics and information systems
Why do these advanced nations have such high rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental issues? Why do the
citizens of these nations choose to consume vast quantities of prescription drugs, illegal drugs, and alcohol as a
solution to these problems?
Tobacco
Every year around 5,500,000,000,000 cigarettes are produced worldwide, and between 1950 and 2004 the world
produced 94,340,000,000,000 cigarettes. (248) Every year 6,000,000 Homo sapiens die as a result of smoking
tobacco, and an additional 600,000 Homo sapiens die as a result of second-hand smoke. (413) In 2017, an
estimated 1,000,000,000 Homo sapiens worldwide smoked cigarettes. In the 20th century more than 100,000,000
Homo sapiens were killed as a result of tobacco use. (226) Each year during the Epiphany celebrations in the
village of Vale de Salgueiro in Portugal, parents encourage their children, some as young as 5, to smoke
cigarettes. And while no one is really sure what the centuries old tradition symbolizes or even why they continue
it, this victimization of children through forced tobacco use continues. (666) More than 7,000 chemical
compounds are created and released into the atmosphere when a cigarette is burned, hundreds of which are toxic,
and about 70 that are known to cause cancer. (225) Toxic substances which include arsenic, nicotine, tar, cyanide,
and even the radioactive materials: polonium-210 and lead-210. (439) In addition there is not only second-hand
smoke which can potentially affect others around the smoker, but also third-hand smoke which is the remnants of
these toxic chemicals on surfaces after the second-hand smoke has cleared the air.
E-cigarettes are now the latest trend, and they are often marketed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes
and even advertised as a method to quit smoking, but they can in fact be just as addictive and deadly as
traditional cigarettes as they can potentially contain nicotine, diacetyl and other flavorings, volatile organic
compounds, heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead along with other cancer-causing chemicals and ultrafine
particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs. (679) How many billions of cigarette butts litter the Earth today?
Why does the government even allow a product that is known to kill so many millions of Homo sapiens and
pollute the Earth so badly? A 20 1 5 World Health Organization report on the environmental and health impacts of
tobacco concluded,
'Tobacco growing usually involves substantial use of chemicals - including pesticides, fertilizers and growth regulators.
These chemicals may affect drinking water sources as a result of run-off from tobacco growing areas. Research has also
shown that tobacco crops deplete soil nutrients by taking up more nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium than other major
crops. This depletion is compounded by topping and de-suckering plants, which increase the nicotine content and leaf yields
of tobacco plants.
Land used for subsistence farming in low- and middle-income countries may be diverted to tobacco as a cash crop. Intensive
lobbying and investments by multinational tobacco companies (e.g. Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco
and Japan Tobacco International) and leaf buyers (e.g. Universal Corporation and Alliance One International) along with
market liberalization measures have encouraged the expansion of tobacco agriculture in low- and middle- income countries.
Many of these countries have limited legislative and economic capacities to resist multinational tobacco companies’ influence
and investments. As a consequence of expanded tobacco agriculture, there are short-term economic benefits for some
farmers, but there will be long-tenn social, economic, health and environmental detriments for many others.
Due to widespread concerns about unfair labour practices in tobacco agriculture, tobacco control advocates have recently
been working with tobacco farmers and farm workers to ensure the right to collective bargaining and to receive living wages
and fair leaf prices. 5 Given the agricultural labour practices in both low- and middle-income countries and more developed
countries, attention is also needed to ensure the safety of children involved in tobacco farming. Farm workers, especially
child labourers, minorities and migrant workers are at risk of nicotine toxicity (green tobacco illness), caused by handling
tobacco leaves without protection during harvest and processing.
In 1995, it was estimated that global tobacco manufacturing produced over 2,000,000 tonnes of solid waste, 300,000 tonnes
of non-recyclable nicotine-containing waste and 200,000 tonnes of chemical waste. If annual cigarette production had
remained constant for the past 20 years (output has actually increased from 5 to 6.3 trillion cigarettes annually), tobacco
factories would have deposited a total of 45,000,000 tonnes of solid wastes, 6,000,000 tonnes of nicotine waste and almost
4,000,000 tonnes of chemical wastes during this time. Other toxic by-products of tobacco manufacturing or chemicals used in
manufacturing include ammonia, hydrochloric acid, toluene and methyl ethyl ketone.
The health impacts of environmental tobacco smoke exposure include lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and pulmonary
disease. Exposure to residual chemicals in environments where smoking has taken place may also have human health
impacts, though these impacts have not yet been quantified. Most cigarettes are lit using matches or gas-filled lighters. If, for
example, one wooden match is used to light two cigarettes, the six trillion cigarettes smoked globally each year would require
the destruction of about nine million trees to produce three trillion matches. There are also environmental impacts of
manufacturing and disposing of the plastic, metal and butane used in making cigarette lighters.
Cigarettes remain an important cause of accidental fires and resulting deaths. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland, cigarettes caused 7% of fires in 2013-2014, making them the single most important cause of deaths related
to fires (34 deaths/1,000 fires). 11 In the United States of America, cigarettes have been responsible for 8-10% of all fires
over the past 10 years (on average 90,000 fires per year); they also remain the single most important cause of deaths related
to fires (540 of 2855 total deaths in 2011). These fires were responsible for 621 million United States dollars in direct
property damage and 1,640 civilian injuries. Regulations requiring cigarettes to self-extinguish in Canada and the USA were
associated with a 30% decline in fire-related deaths from 2003 to 201 1.
Cigarette butts are the most commonly discarded piece of waste globally and are the most frequent item of litter picked up on
beaches and water edges worldwide. 14 The non-biodegradable cellulose acetate filter attached to most manufactured
cigarettes is the main component of cigarette butt waste and trillions of filter-tipped butts are discarded annually. Assuming
that each filter weighs 170 milligrams, the weight of all tobacco-attributable non-biodegradable (filter) waste discarded
annually is about 175,200 tonnes.
Hazardous substances have been identified in cigarette butts - including arsenic, lead, nicotine and ethyl phenol. These
substances are leached from discarded butts into aquatic environments and soil. Although the environmental impact of this
waste has not yet been quantified, the large quantity of discarded butts may allow leachates to affect the quality of drinking
water. Other post-consumption wastes, such as medicines, pesticides and plastic microbeads from cosmetics, have been found
in drinking water sources. It is possible that tobacco product waste may also prove to be a significant environmental
contaminant and potential human health hazard through bioaccumulation in the food-chain.
With 6 trillion cigarettes manufactured annually, about 300 billion packages (assuming 20 cigarettes per pack) are made for
tobacco products. Assuming each empty pack weighs about six grams, this amounts to about 1,800,000 tonnes of packaging
waste, composed of paper, ink, cellophane, foil and glue. The waste from cartons and boxes used for distribution and packing
brings the total annual solid post-consumption waste to at least 2,000,000 tonnes. This compares with an estimated 1,830,000
tonnes annually of plastic waste from mineral water bottles (estimation method available from the corresponding author).
Electronic cigarettes may contain batteries that require special disposal as well as chemicals, packaging and other non-
biodegradable materials. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has expressed concerns about the
flammability and lack of product regulation of electronic cigarettes and their components.
Tobacco smoking leads directly to the emission of 2,600,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and about 5,200,000 tonnes of
methane. Data from 66 low- and middle-income countries showed that tobacco growing and curing caused significant
deforestation between 1990 and 1995, amounting to approximately 2,000 hectares - on average, 5% of each country’s
estimated deforestation during that five-year period. Worldwide, approximately 13,000,000 hectares of forest are lost due to
agriculture or natural causes each year, and of this, at least 200,000 hectares are for tobacco agriculture and curing. 1
Deforestation is the second largest anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere (approximately 20%), after
fossil fuel combustion. One estimate of the impact of deforestation in tobacco agriculture and curing is that it causes almost
5% of global greenhouse gas production.
Despite their now well-known efforts to sow doubt among the public and policy-makers about anthropogenic climate change,
tobacco companies have advertised their efforts to reduce carbon emissions. British American Tobacco estimated in 2006 that
production of one million cigarettes produces 0.79 tonnes of carbon dioxide. According to this estimate, 4,740,000 tonnes of
carbon dioxide would be emitted annually by global cigarette manufacturing. Other analyses assert that this is a gross
underestimate of the greenhouse gas burden due to tobacco growing, manufacturing and transport.23 No estimates are as yet
available on the extent of carbon dioxide emissions due to tobacco product transport." (438)
Major Medical Outbreaks
There are thousands of diseases on Earth which can affect Homo sapiens with only 26 available vaccines and
another 24 vaccines in the pipeline being developed. (250) And although Polio will most likely be eradicated
soon, as of 20 1 7 smallpox was the only human infectious disease to have been completely eradicated. Does this
not prove the resilience and evolutionary brilliance with which nature works, and how little Homo sapiens
actually understand about nature? The XDR (extensively drug resistant) typhoid outbreak in Pakistan which
began in November 2016 and other pathogens which have developed resistance to antibiotics or vaccines are
also evidence of this as well.
Modem medicine and lifestyle changes have halted the spread of some diseases and prevented a mass pandemic
for nearly 1 00 years, but Homo sapiens activities have led to the emergence of zoonotic human pathogens
including viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and rickettsia in addition to the spread of vector borne diseases. When the
first large cities were beginning, diseases were rampant until chlorinated water and the introduction of sewers,
but even today cities are breeding grounds for diseases. Modem medicine, science, and government
import/export regulations have thus far prevented the spread of a major outbreak like Black Death, but could a
new pathogen emerge that medicine and science cannot fight? Why have so many of these recent outbreaks
originated from livestock operations and animal consumption? If these faunae were not being consumed in such
mass quantities, could many of these outbreaks have been avoided?
Major Medical Outbreaks in Recent History Involving Fauna and Homo sapiens
1964 Aberdeen typhoid
outbreak
The 1967 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak was a major outbreak of foot and mouth
disease in the United Kingdom. The In 1964 there was an outbreak of typhoid in the city of
Aberdeen, Scotland. The first two cases were identified on 20 May 1964; eventually over 400 cases
were diagnosed and the patients were quarantined at the City Hospital in Urquhart Road, but no
fatalities resulted. Dr Ian MacQueen, the Medical Officer of Health for Aberdeen, became well
known in the media for his twice-daily briefings. The outbreak was eventually traced to
contaminated tinned corned beef from South America made by Fray Bentos and sold in the city's
branch of the Scottish grocery chain William Low.
Chronic wasting disease
(CWD) 1967
The origin and mode of transmission of the prions causing Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is
unknown, but recent research indicates that prions can be excreted by deer and elk, and are
transmitted by eating grass growing in contaminated soil. Animals bom in captivity and those bom
in the wild have been affected with the disease. Based on epidemiology, transmission of CWD is
thought to be lateral (from animal to animal). Maternal transmission may occur, although it appears
to be relatively unimportant in maintaining epidemics. An infected deer's saliva is able to spread the
CWD prions. Exposure between animals is associated with sharing food and water sources
contaminated with CWD prions shed by diseased deer.
The disease was first identified in 1967 in a closed herd of captive mule deer in contiguous portions
of northeastern Colorado. In 1980, the disease was determined to be a TSE. It was first identified in
wild elk and mules in 1981 in Colorado and Wyoming, and in farmed elk in 1997. In May 2001,
CWD was also found in free-ranging deer in the southwestern corner of Nebraska (adjacent to
Colorado and Wyoming) and later in additional areas in western Nebraska. The limited area of
northern Colorado, southern Wyoming, and western Nebraska in which free-ranging deer, moose,
and/or elk positive for CWD have been found is referred to as the endemic area. The area in 2006
has expanded to six states, including parts of eastern Utah, southwestern South Dakota, and
northwestern Kansas. Also, areas not contiguous (to the endemic area) areas in central Utah and
central Nebraska have been found. The limits of the affected areas are not well defined, since the
disease is at a low incidence and the amount of sampling may not be adequate to detect it. In 2002,
CWD was detected in wild deer in south-central Wisconsin and northern Illinois and in an isolated
area of southern New Mexico. In 2005, it was found in wild white-tailed deer in New York and in
Hampshire County, West Virginia. In 2008, the first confirmed case of CWD in Michigan was
discovered in an infected deer on an enclosed deer-breeding facility. It is also found in the Canadian
provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. In February 2011, the Maryland Department of Natural
Resources reported the first confirmed case of the disease in that state. The affected animal was a
white-tailed deer killed by a hunter.
CWD has also been diagnosed in farmed elk and deer herds in a number of states and in two
Canadian provinces. The first positive farmed elk herd in the United States was detected in 1997 in
South Dakota. Since then, additional positive elk herds and farmed white-tailed deer herds have
been found in South Dakota (7), Nebraska (4), Colorado (10), Oklahoma (1), Kansas (1), Minnesota
(3), Montana (1), Wisconsin (6) and New York (2). As of fall of 2006, four positive elk herds in
Colorado and a positive white-tailed deer herd in Wisconsin remain under state quarantine. All of
the other herds have been depopulated or have been slaughtered and tested, and the quarantine has
been lifted from one herd that underwent rigorous surveillance with no further evidence of disease.
CWD also has been found in farmed elk in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. A
retrospective study also showed mule deer exported from Denver to the Toronto Zoo in the 1980s
were affected. In June 2015, the disease was detected in a male white-tailed deer on a breeding
ranch in Medina County, Texas. State officials euthanized 34 deer in an effort to contain a possible
outbreak.
Species that have been affected with CWD include elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, black-tailed
deer, and moose. Other ruminant species, including wild ruminants and domestic cattle, sheep, and
goats, have been housed in wildlife facilities in direct or indirect contact with CWD -affected deer
and elk, with no evidence of disease transmission. However, experimental transmission of CWD
into other ruminants by intracranial inoculation does result in disease, suggesting only a weak
molecular species barrier exists. Research is ongoing to further explore the possibility of
transmission of CWD to other species. By April 2016 CWD had been found in captive animals in
South Korea; the disease arrived there with live elk that were imported for farming in the late
1990s.
In 2016, the first case of CWD in Europe was from the Nordfjella free ranging reindeer in Southern
Norway. Scientists surveyed the diseased female reindeer until the reindeer died and used the
carcass to isolate the prions. The main origin of CWD to Norway is still unknown, whereas
importation of infected deer was the contamination source in South Korea. Norway has strict
legislation and rules not allowing importation of live animals and cervids into the country. Norway
has had a scrapie surveillance program since 1997; while no reports of scrapie within the range of
Nordfjella reindeer sup population have been identified, sheep are herded through that region and
are a potential source of infection. In each of May and June, infected wild moose were found
around 300 km north from the first case, in Selbu. By the end of August, a fourth case had been
confirmed in a wild reindeer shot in the same area as the first case in March. In 2017, the
Environment Agency of the Norwegian government released guidelines for hunters hunting reindeer
in the Nordfjella areas. The guidelines contain infonnation on identifying animals with CWD
symptoms, instructions for minimizing the risk of contamination, as well as a list of supplies given
to hunters to be used for taking and submitting samples from shot reindeer.
1967 United Kingdom foot-
and-mouth outbreak
Over the course of six months, 430,000 animals across 2300 fanns were slaughtered. The average
number of animals that were slaughtered in each confirmed case was around 200. The 1967 crisis
saw the last reported case of human foot-and-mouth disease. The victim was a farm- worker who
was believed to have contracted the virus by consuming contaminated milk. The disease was not
life-threatening and they were able to recover within several weeks.
1968 H3N2 outbreak AKA
‘Hong Kong Flu’
The 1968 flu pandemic was a category 2 flu pandemic whose outbreak in 1968 and 1969 killed an
estimated 1,000,000 people worldwide. Both the H2N2 and H3N2 pandemic flu strains contained
genes from avian influenza viruses. The new subtypes arose in pigs coinfected with avian and
human viruses and were soon transferred to humans. Swine were considered the original
"intermediate host" for influenza, because they supported reassortment of divergent subtypes.
However, other hosts appear capable of similar coinfection (e.g., many poultry species), and direct
transmission of avian viruses to humans is possible.
1976 Swine flu outbreak
The 1976 swine flu outbreak, also known as the swine flu fiasco, or the swine flu debacle, was a
strain of H 1N1 influenza virus that appeared in 1976. Infectious morbidity was only detected from
January 19 to February 9, and were not found outside Fort Dix. The outbreak is most remembered
for the mass immunization that it prompted in the United States. The strain itself killed one person
and hospitalized 13. However, side-effects from the vaccine are thought to have caused five
hundred cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome and 25 deaths.
1984 Rabbit haemorrhagic
disease outbreak
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD), also known as rabbit calicivirus disease (RCD) or viral
haemorrhagic disease ( VHD), is a highly infectious and often fatal disease that affects wild and
domestic rabbits of the species Oryctolagus cuniculus. The infectious agent responsible for the
disease is rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), or rabbit calicivirus (RCV), genus Lagovirus
of the family Caliciviridae. The virus infects only rabbits, and has been used in some countries to
control rabbit populations. RHD first appeared in the Winter of 1983 in Jiangsu Province of the
People's Republic of China. It was first isolated and characterized by S.J. Fiu et al. in 1984. The
Chinese outbreak was spread by the angora rabbit, which had originated in Europe. Fourteen
million domesticated rabbits died within nine months in the outbreak. In 1984 the virus that caused
the disease was identified. The virus spread westward and reached Europe in 1988. The virus has
since appeared in Mexico, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. In 1992, the United
Kingdom reported its first case of RHD in domestic show rabbits. By the late 1990s, RHD stretched
to forty countries and had become endemic in wild and feral rabbit populations in Europe, Australia,
New Zealand and Cuba. In Europe, there was a rapid increase in research into RHD, due to the
importance of the commercial breeding of rabbits for meat and fur production. The first reported
case in the United States was in Iowa on March 9, 2000. The affected breeds included Palominos
and California Whites. By April 6, 25 of the 27 affected rabbits had died of the infection. In order to
contain the disease, the remaining two rabbits were euthanized. No new introductions of rabbits
were placed on the farm for two years after the discovery of RHD and August 1999 was the last
time rabbits left and/or returned to the farm. The United States experienced other outbreaks of RHD
in 2001 (Utah, Illinois, New York) and 2005 (Indiana). In 2010, a new virus variant called rabbit
hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) emerged in France
1985 California listeria
outbreak
The 1985 California listeria outbreak was in Mexican style soft cheese made by Jalisco in
California. There were 52 confirmed deaths, including 19 stillbirths and 10 infant deaths.
1985 United States
salmonellosis outbreak
The 1985 United States salmonellosis outbreak was Salmonella typhimurium in milk from the
Hillfarm Dairy in Melrose Park, Illinois. Two people died and the infection was a contributing
factor in the deaths of "four, possibly five, others".
1998 United States listeriosis
outbreak
The 1998 United States listeriosis outbreak was the third deadliest outbreak of foodbome illness in
the United States since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started tracking in the 1970s.
There were 14 deaths and 4 miscarriages or stillbirths in a listeria outbreak in hot dogs and cold cuts
from Sara Lee Corporation. Some sources put the death toll as high as 21.
1993 Jack in the Box E. coli
outbreak
Health inspectors traced the contamination to the restaurants' "Monster Burger" sandwich which
had been on a special promotion (using the slogan So good it's scary!) and sold at a discounted
price. The ensuing high demand "overwhelmed" the restaurants and the product was not cooked for
long enough or at a high enough temperature to kill the bacteria. At a 1993 press conference the
president of Foodmaker (the parent company of Jack in the Box) blamed Vons Companies Inc.
(supplier of their hamburger meat) for the E. coli epidemic. However, the Jack in the Box fast- food
chain knew about but disregarded Washington state laws which required burgers to be cooked to
155 °F (68 °C), the temperature necessary to completely kill E. coli. Instead, it adhered to the
federal standard of 140 °F (60 °C). Had Jack in the Box followed the state cooking standard, the E.
coli outbreak would have been prevented.
1999 Nipah virus outbreak
Nipah virus was identified in April 1999, when it caused an outbreak of neurological and respiratory
disease on pig farms in peninsular Malaysia, resulting in 257 human cases, including 105 human
deaths and the culling of one million pigs. In Singapore, 11 cases, including one death, occurred in
abattoir workers exposed to pigs imported from the affected Malaysian farms. The Nipah virus has
been classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a Category C agent. The name
"Nipah" refers to the place, Kampung Baru Sungai Nipah in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, the
source of the human case from which Nipah virus was first isolated. Nipah virus is one of several
viruses identified by WHO as a likely cause of a future epidemic in a new plan developed after the
Ebola epidemic for urgent research and development before and during an epidemic toward new
diagnostic tests, vaccines and medicines.
The outbreak was originally mistaken for Japanese encephalitis (JE), however, physicians in the
area noted that persons who had been vaccinated against JE were not protected, and the number of
cases among adults was unusual. Despite the fact that these observations were recorded in the first
month of the outbreak, the Ministry of Health failed to react accordingly, and instead launched a
nationwide campaign to educate people on the dangers of JE and its vector, Culex mosquitoes.
Symptoms of infection from the Malaysian outbreak were primarily encephalitic in humans and
respiratory in pigs. Later outbreaks have caused respiratory illness in humans, increasing the
likelihood of human-to-human transmission and indicating the existence of more dangerous strains
of the virus. Based on seroprevalence data and virus isolations, the primary reservoir for Nipah
virus was identified as Pteropid fruit bats, including Pteropus vampyrus (Large Flying Fox), and
Pteropus hypomelanus (Small flying fox), both of which occur in Malaysia.
The transmission of Nipah virus from flying foxes to pigs is thought to be due to an increasing
overlap between bat habitats and piggeries in peninsular Malaysia. At the index farm, fruit orchards
were in close proximity to the piggery, allowing the spillage of urine, faeces and partially eaten fruit
onto the pigs. Retrospective studies demonstrate that viral spillover into pigs may have been
occurring in Malaysia since 1996 without detection. During 1998, viral spread was aided by the
transfer of infected pigs to other farms, where new outbreaks occurred.
2000 Walkerton E. coli
outbreak
The water supply, drawn from groundwater, became contaminated with the highly dangerous
0157:H7 strain of E. coli bacteria. This contamination was due to farm runoff into an adjacent
water well that had been known for years to be vulnerable to groundwater contamination. The five
people died directly from drinking the E. coli-contaminated water and about 2,500 became ill.
200 1 United Kingdom foot-
and-mouth outbreak
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused a crisis in British
agriculture and tourism. This epizootic saw 2,000 cases of the disease in farms across most of the
British countryside. Over 10 million sheep and cattle were killed in an eventually successful attempt
to halt the disease.
2002-2003 SARS outbreak
A SARS outbreak occurred between November 2002 and July 2003. SARS is a relatively rare
disease, with 8,273 cases as of 2003. In late May 2003, studies from samples of wild animals sold
as food in the local market in Guangdong, China, found the SARS coronavirus could be isolated
from masked palm civets (Paguma sp.), but the animals did not always show clinical signs. The
preliminary conclusion was the SARS virus crossed the xenographic barrier from palm civet to
humans, and more than 10,000 masked palm civets were killed in Guangdong Province. Virus was
also later found in raccoon dogs (Nyctereuteus sp.), ferret badgers (Melogale spp.), and domestic
cats. In 2005, two studies identified a number of SARS-like coronaviruses in Chinese bats.
Phylogenetic analysis of these viruses indicated a high probability that SARS coronavirus
originated in bats and spread to humans either directly or through animals held in Chinese markets.
2003 U.S. Midwest monkeypox
outbreak
The 2003 Midwest monkeypox outbreak marked the first time monkeypox infection has appeared in
the United States, and the first time in the Western Hemisphere. Beginning in May, 2003 a total of
71 cases of human monkeypox were found in five Midwestern states including Wisconsin (39
cases), Indiana (16), Illinois (12), Kansas (1), Missouri (2) and Ohio (1). The cause of the outbreak
was traced to Gambian rats imported into the United States by an exotic animal importer in Texas.
2003 H5N1 outbreak
By midyear of 2003 outbreaks of poultry disease caused by H5N 1 occurred in Asia, but were not
recognized as such. That December animals in a Thai zoo died after eating infected chicken
carcasses. Later that month H5N1 infection was detected in 3 flocks in the Republic of Korea.
H5N 1 in China in this and later periods is less than frilly reported. Blogs have described many
discrepancies between official China government announcements concerning H5N 1 and what
people in China see with their own eyes. Many reports of total H5N 1 cases exclude China due to
widespread disbelief in China's official numbers.
2004 H5N1 outbreak
In January 2004 a major new outbreak of H5N 1 surfaced in Vietnam and Thailand's poultry
industry, and within weeks spread to ten countries and regions in Asia, including Indonesia, South
Korea, Japan and China. In October 2004 researchers discovered H5N 1 is far more dangerous than
previously believed because waterfowl, especially ducks, were directly spreading the highly
pathogenic strain of H5N1 to chickens, crows, pigeons, and other birds and that it was increasing its
ability to infect mammals as well. From this point on, avian influenza experts increasingly refer to
containment as a strategy that can delay but not prevent a future avian flu pandemic.
2005 South Wales E. coli 0157
outbreak
It was the largest outbreak of E. coli 0157 in Wales and the second largest in the UK. 157 cases
were identified in the outbreak; 31 people were hospitalized, and one child, 5-year old Mason Jones,
died. Most of the 157 cases identified were children, attending 44 different schools across four
different local authorities - Bridgend, Methry Tydfil, Caerphily and Rhondda Cynon Taf. Of those
infected, 109 cases were identified as a strain of E. coli 0157 unique to this outbreak. The cause
was a vacuum packing machine used to package both raw meat and cooked meat without being
properly cleaned between batches resulting in cross-contamination.
2005 H5N1 outbreak
In January 2005 an outbreak of avian influenza affected thirty three out of sixty four cities and
provinces in Vietnam, leading to the forced killing of nearly 1 .2 million poultry. Up to 140 million
birds are believed to have died or been killed because of the outbreak. In April 2005 there begins an
unprecedented die-off of over 6,000 migratory birds at Qinghai Lake in central China over three
months. This strain of H5N 1 is the same strain as is spread west by migratory birds over at least the
next ten months. In August 2005 H5N1 spread to Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia. On September
29, 2005, David Nabarro, the newly appointed Senior United Nations System Coordinator for Avian
and Human Influenza, warned the world that an outbreak of avian influenza could kill 5 to 150
million people. David Nabarro later stated that as the virus had spread to migratory birds, an
outbreak could start in Africa or the Middle East. Later in 2005 H5N1 spread to Turkey, Romania,
Croatia and Kuwait.
2006 H5N1 outbreak
In the first two months of 2006 H5N1 spread to other Asian countries (such as India), north Africa,
and Europe in wild bird populations possibly signaling the beginning of H5N1 being endemic in
wild migratory bird populations on multiple continents for decades, permanently changing the way
poultry are farmed. In July and August 2006 significantly increased numbers of bird deaths due to
H5N1 were recorded in Cambodia, China, Laos, Nigeria, and Thailand while continuing unabated a
rate unparalleled in Indonesia. In June, there was a human outbreak in Indonesia when 8 members
of a family in Sumatra became infected and 7 died. The WHO reported that this may have been the
first recorded instance of human- to-human transmission. In September, Egypt and Sudan joined the
list of nations seeing a resurgence of bird deaths due to H5N 1 . In November and December, South
Korea and Vietnam joined the list of nations seeing a resurgence of bird deaths due to H5N 1 . The
first reports of bird flu in India came from the village of Navapur in the Nandurbar district of
Maharashtra on 19 February 2006. Villagers reported a large number of bird deaths in the village.
Soon after the presence of the virus was confirmed culling operations began. 253000 birds and
587000 eggs were destroyed within 5 days.
2006 North American E. coli
0157:H7 outbreak
A follow-up report by the CDC and a joint report by the California Department of Health Services
(CDHS) and U.S. FDA concluded that the probable source of the outbreak was Paicines Ranch, an
Angus cattle ranch that had leased land to spinach grower Mission Organics. The report found 26
samples of E. coli “indistinguishable from the outbreak strain” in water and cattle manure on the
San Benito County ranch, some within a mile from the tainted spinach fields. Although officials
could not definitively say how the spinach became contaminated, both reports named the presence
of wild pigs on the ranch and the proximity of surface waterways to irrigation wells as "potential
environmental risk factors.
2007 H5N1 outbreak
In January, Japan, Hungary, Russia, and the United Kingdom joined the list of nations seeing a
resurgence of bird deaths due to H5N1. In February, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Myamnar
joined the list and Kuwait saw its first major outbreak of H5N 1 avian influenza. In March
Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia each saw their first major outbreak of H5N 1 avian influenza and
Ghana in May. As H5N 1 continued killing many birds and a few people throughout the spring in
countries where it is now endemic, in June Malaysia and Germany saw a resurgence of bird deaths
due to H5N 1 , while the Czech Republic and Togo experienced their first major outbreak of H5N 1
avian influenza. In July France and India also saw a resurgence of bird deaths due to H5N1.
2007 Central Luzon hog
cholera outbreak
An outbreak of classical swine fever (hog cholera) in the Philippine region of Central Luzon,
particularly the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan occurred in mid-2007, the Philippine
Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed. The outbreak was originally confined on early July to
backyard farms in 3 towns but expanded to 43 barangays in 12 municipalities (of 21 municipalities
and 3 cities) in Bulacan. Commercial fanns, which are 80% of the farms, were unaffected,
according to provincial veterinarian Felipe Bartolome. Bartolome also dismissed the cases of foot-
and-mouth disease in the province, and the hog cholera only affected about 3,000-5,000 sows.
2008 H5N1 outbreak
Hong Kong found the H5N1 bird flu virus at a poultry stall in Sham Shui Po. 2,700 birds were
ordered to be killed by the local government. A new regulation requires all live chickens not sold by
8pm to be killed. The chairman of the Hong Kong Poultry Wholesalers Association said the
government's decision makes it very difficult for their business to continue. Retailers who keep live
poultry after 8pm are now subject to a fine of HK$50,000 and six months imprisonment.
2009 Flu Pandemic H1N1/09
vims
The 2009 flu pandemic or swine flu was an influenza pandemic, and the second of the two
pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus (the first of them being the 1918 flu pandemic), albeit in
a new version. However, by 2012, research showed that as many as 579,000 people could have been
killed by the disease, as only those fatalities confirmed by laboratory testing were included in the
original number, and meant that many of those without access to health facilities went uncounted.
The majority of these deaths occurred in Africa and Southeast Asia. Experts, including the WHO,
have agreed that an estimated 284,500 people were killed by the disease, much higher than the
initial death toll. On June 23, 2009, The New York Times reported that U.S. federal agriculture
officials, "contrary to the popular assumption that the new swine flu pandemic arose on factory
farms in Mexico," now believe that it "most likely emerged in pigs in Asia, but then traveled to
North America in a human." They emphasized that there was no way to prove their hypothesis, but
stated that there is no evidence that this new virus, which combines Eurasian and North American
genes, has ever circulated in North American pigs, "while there is tantalizing evidence that a closely
related 'sister virus' has circulated in Asia."
2009 H5N1 outbreak
H5N1 hits Nepal for first time. In a January 16 report to the World Organization for Animal Health
(OIE), government officials in Nepal said the virus struck backyard poultry in a village in Jhapa
district in the southeastern comer of Nepal. Though the Nepal Government announced that bird flu
in the country's Kankarbhitta area is under control, avian virus surfaced again in Sharanamati of
Jhapa district. Over 150 chickens died in the Indian border town, 35 km southwest of Kankarbhitta.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives declared the area surrounding Sharanamati a "bird-flu
affected area" and increased surveillance along the border. A Rapid Response Team (RRT) was
dispatched to control the virus. The government also banned the transportation of poultry products
throughout the country. The first outbreak was confirmed in Kankarbhitta on January 16. 28,000
chickens were killed in the area to control the virus
2010 Japan foot-and-mouth
outbreak
The Japan foot-and-mouth outbreak was a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak that occurred in
2010, in Miyazaki Prefecture, affecting cattle, swine, sheep and goats and taking place ten years
after a similar outbreak in 2000. On August 26, Miyazaki governor Higashikokubaru announced
that the Foot-Mouth disease was eradicated. It took lives of about 290,000 cattle.
2010-2012 South Korea foot-
and-mouth outbreak
A serious outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease occurred in South Korea in 2010-2011, leading to the
culling of hundreds of thousands of pigs (as of January 20 1 1 ) in an effort to contain it. The outbreak
began in November 2010 in pig farms in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and has since spread in the
country rapidly. More than 100 cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been confirmed in the country
so far, and South Korean officials have started a mass cull of approximately 12 percent of the entire
domestic pig population and 107,000 of three million cattle of the country to halt the outbreak. As
parts of the culling process, it was reported by some sections of the English-language media that the
South Korean government had decided to bury approximately 1 .4 million pigs alive, which drew
complaints from animal activists
2013 Porcine epidemic diarrhea
virus outbreak
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PED virus or PEDV) is a coronavirus that infects the cells lining
the small intestine of a pig, causing porcine epidemic diarrhoea, a condition of severe diarrhea and
dehydration. Older hogs mostly get sick and lose weight after being infected, where as newborn
piglets usually die within five days of contracting the virus. PEDV cannot be transmitted to humans,
nor contaminate the human food supply.
It was first discovered in Europe, but has become increasingly problematic in Asian countries, such
as Korea, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. It has also spread to North America: In May
2013, the virus was found in 27 U.S. states and eventually killed 6,000,000 piglets in less than a
year, then it was discovered in Canada in the winter of 2014. In January 2014, a new variant strain
of PEDV with three deletions, one insertion, and several mutations in S (spike) 1 region was
identified in Ohio by the Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab of Ohio Department of Agriculture.
2012-2014 Middle East
respiratory syndrome
coronavirus (MERS-CoV) or
EMC/2012 outbreak
Over 1,600 cases of MERS have been reported by 2015 and the case fatality rate is >30%. As of
July 2015, MERS-CoV cases have been reported in over 21 countries, including Saudi Arabia,
Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Turkey, Oman, Algeria, Bangladesh,
Indonesia (none were confirmed), Austria, the United Kingdom, South Korea, the United States,
Mainland China, Thailand, and the Philippines. At least one person who has fallen sick with MERS
was known to have come into contact with camels or recently drank camel milk. Countries like
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates produce and consume large amounts of camel meat. The
possibility exists that African or Australian bats harbor the virus and transmit it to camels. Imported
camels from these regions might have carried the virus to the Middle East.
2015 Indian swine flu outbreak
2015 Indian swine flu outbreak refers to an outbreak of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus in India,
which is still ongoing as of March 2015. The states of Gujarat and Rajasthan are the worst affected.
India had reported 937 cases and 218 deaths from swine flu in the year 2014. By mid-February
2015, the reported cases and deaths in 2015 had surpassed the previous numbers. The H1N1 virus
outbreak had previously occurred India during the 2009 flu pandemic. The virus killed 981 people
in 2009 and 1,763 in 2010. The mortality decreased in 2011 to 75. It claimed 405 lives in 2012 and
699 lives in 2013. In 2014, a total of 218 people died from the H1N1 flu, India recorded 837
laboratory confirmed cases in the year. Every year, there was a rise in number of cases and deaths
during winter as temperature affects virus. During 2014-15 winter, there was a spurt in cases at the
end 2014. In 2015, the outbreak became widespread through India. On 12 February 2015, Rajasthan
declared an epidemic. The total number of laboratory confirmed cases crossed 33,000 mark with
death of more than 2,000 people.
2015 United States H5N2
outbreak
In 2015, an outbreak of avian influenza subtype H5N2 was identified in a series of chicken and
turkey farming operations in the Midwestern region of the United States. As of May 30, more than
43,000,000 birds in 15 states had been destroyed as a result of the outbreak, including nearly
30,000,000 in Iowa alone, the nation's largest egg producer. When an infection is confirmed, all
birds at the affected farm are destroyed per USD A guidelines. The birds are culled by pumping an
expanding water-based foam into the barn houses, which suffocates them within minutes. The birds
are then composted, usually at the location.
2018 salmonella egg recall
The 2018 US egg recall was a product recall for fresh chicken eggs in the United States beginning
on April 13, 2018. The United States Department of Agriculture recalled more than 200 million
eggs after a salmonella outbreak connected to Iowa egg farms, including Rose Acre Farms. It is the
largest egg recall since 2010.
SOURCE: Wikipedia (with some corrections, additions, and other edits)
Over the last 100 years new bacteria and viruses have emerged causing a host of new diseases, Rift Valley fever
(early 1900s), Chagas disease (1909), West Nile virus (1937), Zika virus (1947), Lassa fever (1950s),
Chikungunya virus (1955), H2N2 Asian flu (1957), Monkeypox (1958), Usutu virus (1959), Enterovirus 68
(1962), Marburg virus (1967), H3N2 Hong Kong flu (1968), Norovirus, (1972), Ebola virus (1976), AIDS virus
(1981), BSE bovine spongiform encephalopathy aka Mad Cow Disease (1986), H5N1 avian flu (1997), Nipah
virus (1998), SARS coronavirus (2003), H10N7 virus (2004), H1N1 swine flu (2009), MERS virus (2012),
H7N9 virus (2013), and others. Viruses can only survive inside a living host unlike bacteria which live on most
all surfaces. This means that these viruses have most likely been on Earth for millions of years in other fauna
species awaiting exposure to Homo sapiens. Could there be an emergence of past diseases like the 1576
Cocoliztli epidemic which killed 15,000,000 or more? Could some of these new diseases be a result of
anthropogenic actions like deforestation, which disturb remote habitats and possibly expose these never before
documented pathogens? Could the mass consumption of livestock or other flora and fauna exploitation act as
future vectors or even incubators for other unknown pathogens? Some of these pathogens are have emerged in
pigs, chickens, cows, or other livestock, so if fauna consumption ended would these types of pathogens be less
likely to emerge? Have shorter winters resulting from global warning contribute to the rapid spreading of the
invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito, and thus some of these vector-bome diseases? (e.g. West Nile virus, zika virus,
and chikungunya virus spreading so rapidly and infecting so many in the United States) If Pseudogymnoascus
and anthropogenic activities had not decimated United States bat populations, would the Zika virus have spread
so rapidly? Previously unknown viruses frozen in Siberia for more than 30,000 years have been successfully
revived, could global warming, mining, or other anthropogenic activities expose other ancient pathogens which
lie dormant on Earth? (650) Could one of these viruses only be deadly to modem day Homo sapiens, whereas
Homo sapiens thousands of years ago had a natural immunity?
Older viruses which cause diseases like malaria, smallpox, measles, tuberculosis, etc. have plagued Homo
sapiens for thousands of years, but appear to have begun flourishing around 10,000 years ago when Homo
sapiens began practicing agriculture and domesticating faunae. Kristin Harper and George Amielagos remarked
that,
“If malaria was contracted by humans in the Pleistocene, it likely would have been in isolated incidences. For example, recent
genetic analysis of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene, some variants of which confer resistance to the infection,
confirmed that malaria is a recent selective force in human populations, occurring within the last 10,000 years. Based on the
mitochondrial genome of the parasite itself, Joy et al. concluded that though the parasite that causes falciparum malaria
originated long ago (perhaps 50,000-100,000 YBP), a sudden increase in the population size of the parasite did not occur
until around 10,000 years ago when humans began to practice agriculture.
The disease-scape changed dramatically after the adoption of agriculture. New proximity to domestic animals created many
opportunities for novel pathogens to infect, and eventually adapt, to humans. It has long been thought that many of our most
feared diseases (anthrax, tuberculosis, Q fever, brucellosis, smallpox, measles, etc.) emerged at this time, evolving from
progenitors contracted from goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, and fowl. Not all of these origin stories have held up under closer
scrutiny. For example, analysis of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome rules out linear evolution of the human pathogen
from M. bovis, the species that infects cattle and suggests that the former pathogen may actually have appeared prior to the
latter, and not vice-versa. Nevertheless, it is clear that many important human infections did initially arise from close contact
with domestic animals. Peri-domestic animals such as rodents and sparrows, which developed permanent habitats in and
around human dwellings, could also represent important sources of disease, such as the bubonic plague, hantavirus, typhus,
Salmonella, and histoplasmosis.
The very act of farming may have resulted in exposure to novel pathogens as well as increasing the risk of contracting
familiar infections. The cultivation of soil, which requires the breaking up of sod, may have exposed farmers to the chiggers
that carry the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus. Similarly, Livingstone argued that slash-
and-burn agriculture in West Africa would have exposed populations to Anopheles gambiae, the mosquito that serves as the
vector for Plasmodium falciparum, the cause of malaria. Slash-and-bum agriculture resulted in sedentary populations
surrounded by the pools of sunlit water required for propagation of the Anophelese mosquito. Aedes aegypti, the vector that
carries yellow and dengue fever, breeds in artificial containers; frequent contact with this mosquito is also likely to have
begun and intensified around the time that sedentary settlements became common. Finally, agricultural practices such as
irrigation and the use of human feces as fertilizer would have increased exposure to pathogens such as the one that causes
schistosomiasis.
Changes in nutrition and food handling would also have altered disease risk. The shift to agriculture resulted in a reduction of
the dietary niche, which would have predisposed many individuals to dietary deficiencies uncommon in the Pleistocene. For
example, porotic hyperostosis, a skeletal marker indicative of anemia (including that caused by iron-deficiency) first appears
in the Upper Paleolithic, increasing throughout the Neolithic. Nutritional deficiencies, which alone were sufficient to cause
disease, would also have altered host immune competence, making humans in this time-period more susceptible to infection
following contact with a pathogen. Agriculture also resulted in regular food surpluses that had to be stored in large quantities
and widely distributed, which probably resulted in outbreaks of food poisoning.
In sum, Cohen and Armelagos provide a number of case studies that show a decline in health following the Neolithic
transformation, suggesting that this period in human history (a period with different start and end points in different areas)
could indeed be regarded justifiably as an age of pestilence and famine. The increasing class inequalities, epidemic diseases,
and dietary insufficiencies would also have added mental stress to the list of illnesses that plagued agriculturalists.” (401)
Government and Corporate Influence - ‘Whomever Has the Gold Makes the Rules’
Regardless of government type, since the invention of money and commerce there has always been some type of
a financial scandal, price gouging, land dispute, outright theft, or other negative influence which has stolen from
society as a whole. Today, there is a ‘revolving door ’ in nearly every sector of government and industry from
defense to agriculture, and it has resulted in the United States becoming a sort of plutocracy with a quid pro quo
political process which has also led to corporations, religions, and foreign-connected interests having vast
influence and control of certain sectors of government through the use of SuperPACs and lobbyists. As of
December 1 1, 2017, there were 1,692 groups organized as super PACs which reported total receipts of
$108,318,639 in the 2018 cycle. (623) Regulatory capture has become common in many industries with lobbyist
spending enormous sums of money to promote this failure of government. In 1998, there were 10,404 registered
lobbyists which spent $1,450,000,000 on lobbying Washington D.C. politicians for a wide range of business
sectors, social causes, and other various self-interest groups. By 2016, the amount of money more than doubled
with 11,186 registered lobbyists spending $3,150,000,000. (294) But the real number is estimated to be closer to
100,000 lobbyists spending $9,000,000,000 as lobbying has now gone underground and out of the spotlight
making it less noticeable to the public eye. (293) More than 200 of these groups are affiliated with some religion
and they spent $390,000,000 per year lobbying. (295) Is this not a serious conflict of interest regarding the
separation of church and state? The mind maps at www.theyrule.net show just how connected corporate boards
and the government are.
Lobbying is protected under the First Amendment of the United States constitution, but should it not be more
regulated and have more oversight and transparency to prevent the current level of abuse, obscurity, and
manipulation of government regulations? Should not lobbying budgets be more limited? How can the
government function reliably for the citizens if corporations are allowed to spend billions of dollars on lobbying
and campaign contributions unchecked, which allows them to get laws passed to their benefit for tax breaks, less
regulations, and other favors from politicians and government regulators? Why isn’t there a cooling-off period of
36 months or more to prevent the door from revolving? Should not foreign nations be banned from hiring
American lobbyists to prevent their attempts to influence the foreign policy of the United States? (e.g. In 2016
Taiwanese officials hired Bob Dole to set up the famous controversial phone call between president-elect Donald
Trump and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen) How can individuals like Dick Cheney, Meredith Attwell Baker,
Linda Fisher, and so many others be allowed to serve in government and private sector jobs which have such
conflicts of interests? Cannot businesses and interested individuals simply sit down with politicians and discuss
what they want to ameliorate, instead of basing reform on money and a system where the highest bidder wins
even with the most negative idea? If lobbying with money, other gifts, and other loopholes like Super PACs
exist, then doesn’t this mean that government will always be for sale to the highest bidder? If the regulated are
allowed to become the regulators, how will the regulatory system ever function properly? How can a democracy
work with so much commercial lobbying and influence that leads to so much corruption and lawlessness? How
can a government function unbiasedly when government regulators are former coiporate employees with active
interests in that business sector? How can a government function when it becomes dominated by the coiporate
industries it is supposed to be regulating?
Perverse subsidies have become more prolific resulting in negative environmental impacts. In 2005, it was
estimated that governments around the world spent $400,000,000,000 a year subsidizing transportation, fishing,
energy, agriculture, and water related industries. (221) Why do well established industries, (e.g. oil and gas,
pharmaceutical, agricultural, etc.) receive so many subsidies, while new and struggling industries receive little or
no subsidies at all? Would these perverse subsidies not be better spent on environmental clean-up, education,
conservation, infrastructure, healthcare, or other direct social improvements?
Rampant conflicts of interest have also occurred in recent decades between government regulatory agencies and
corporations. These conflicts of interest have affected all sectors of industry, but can be seen especially in the
pharmaceutical, food, and energy industries. This influence on regulations, which are supposed to keep
industries in check and protect consumers, has been corrupted and led to consumer health and safety issues,
while also monopolizing industries even further. How can politics and a justice system ever function properly if
money, greed, corporate, or personal interests are able to corrupt these systems? Why is Scott Pruitt, a lawyer
with no scientific background, a global warming denier, and someone with known ties to the fossil fuel industry
who has fought against the EPA for years allowed to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency? Why are politicians, lawyers, and businesspersons appointed to these positions when clearly someone
with a scientific background would be more beneficial? Richard Hofstadter remarked that,
“The Founding Fathers were sages, scientists, men of broad cultivation, many of them apt in classical learning, who used
their wide reading in history, politics, and laws to solve the exigent problems of their time. No subsequent era in our history
has produced so many men of knowledge among its political leaders as the age of John Adams, John Dickinson, Benjamin
Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Mason, James Wilson, and George Wythe. One
might have expected that such men, whose political achievements were part of the very fabric of the nation, would have stood
as permanent and overwhelming testimonial to the truth that men of learning and intellect need not be bootless and
impractical as political leaders.
It is ironic that the United States should have been founded by intellectuals; for throughout most of our political history, the
intellectual has been for the most part either an outsider, a servant, or a scapegoat.” (362)
A new generation of politicians are about to come forth far more openminded, educated, and concerned about the
conservation of Earth and the well-being of their fellow Homo sapiens. And although the old will undoubtedly
go kicking and screaming they will ultimately be replaced, and with them their antiquated ideas and systems
which did so much destruction to Earth and suppressed so many Homo sapiens will also be no more. A
psychiatric review of biographical sources regarding mental illness of 37 United States Presidents between 1776
and 1974 found that 18 Presidents met criteria suggesting they had a psychiatric disorder, the most common
being depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and alcoholism. In 1 0 of the instances, a psychiatric disorder was
clearly evident during the timeframe when the individual held presidential office, and in most cases probably
impaired their job performance. (649) If one examines the political leaders of the last 100 years or more, they will
find that many of them were either mentally unstable, greedy, corrupt, self-centered, egotistical, racists, or just
plain tyrannical who got into power by bullying, lying, cheating, and stealing. They were not true leaders and
were not scientific or philosophically minded individuals. Why are these types of Homo sapiens elected to office
and allowed to corrupt the government so openly and with no real consequences for their actions? What does this
say about the public who elects them or allows them to be elected? Are they ignorant? Do they simply not care?
Or are the politicians an actual reflection of the voters? One can imagine how brilliant a political leader would be
if they were scientifically minded and highly educated using logical thought to make most decisions. If more
scientists and other intellectuals were to get involved in politics and held more positions within the government,
how would this change the world? Perhaps the public would be better served if the U.S. Senate Appointments
Clause also required candidates to take an IQ test, or a combination of other psychological testing to analyze
how intelligent and incompetent they truly are, what their moral standards are, and how they would react
towards particular situations relating to the job. Albert Einstein wrote,
“Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly
because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production
at the expense of the smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of
which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of
legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all
practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do
not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing
conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio,
education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to
objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.” (65)
Avery small percentage of Americans are directly involved in or even aware of their government’s activities,
and those that actually do vote elect a candidate during an election usually based on party affiliation never
looking into their government’s activities and what legislation is being enacted or changed. A good example of
this can be seen at how few comments there are on https://www.regulations.gov/ many of the proposals have 0
comments. Another example can be seen in how few citizens actually attend the rare, if ever held at all, town hall
meetings. The United States presidential voter turnout in 1890 was 80%, by 1907 it had fallen to 65%, and in the
2016 election it was 55.5%. What does this say about society when only around half the population eligible to
vote does not participate? Why do so few take part in the democratic political process, while it is supposedly
cherished by so many? Are they complacent with their government, or do they simply not care? Have they given
up as it seems hopeless and they see no point knowing that their vote can be overridden by the Electoral College
like in the 2000 and 2016 presidential elections? How can an electoral college made up of 538 individuals
override the choices of 100,000,000 Homo sapiens as they did in the 2000 and 2016 elections? Does it not make
it easier for a political party to rig an election when the those who make up the electoral college are nominated
either by state chapters of nationally oriented political parties, by voters in primaries, in party conventions, by
the campaign committee of each candidate, by state legislatures, or appointed by the political parties themselves?
How can an electoral college be considered a form of true democracy? How can such an injustice like this take
place in a democracy? What good are electronic voting machines if they can be hacked and manipulated so
easily?
Homo sapiens as a whole agree on the basic principles of democracy and freedom, this is clearly evident in how
many democratic based governments have existed throughout all of history from the Greeks to present. But
today, most United States citizens do not know the details of the Constitution nor the names of the current
Supreme Court Justices, much less who the members of the Presidential cabinet are, in fact the vast majority do
not even know who their Congressman, Senator, or other local government representatives are. The lack of
citizen involvement in government can also be seen in how many uncontested elected offices there are in each
election. During the November 2014 elections in 46 states, there were 6,057 state legislative districts with a seat
up for election and 1,797 of the candidates faced no opposition during both the primary and general election. Out
of the 6,057 seats up for election, 5,049 (83.4%) of the incumbents ran for re-election with 1,724 (34.1%) of
them advancing through the 2014 elections without any opposition whatsoever. (171) Many other smaller local
government offices also go uncontested during elections and are easily obtainable by one candidate, which much
of time has no experience and is usually unqualified for the position. A study in 2015 found that 85% of
incumbent prosecutors in the United States run unopposed, and interestingly 95% percent of the United States
elected prosecutors are white and 83% percent are men. (l 12) There seems to be very little public discourse from
the lack of public interest in political issues and about what the government is actually doing. Why do so many
constantly complain about the government and yet never make any effort to get involved to change the
government they are so critical of?
Political dynasties have also had a great influence on the political decisions of the past, families like: the
Adamses, Bushes, Clintons, Cuomos, Kennedys, Lees, Longs, Roosevelts, Tafts, Udalls, and Harrisons have all
had major influence and control over the United States government during their reign. Aren’t these political
dynasties contrary to democracy? Why has this been so accepted in a country of democracy which was founded
on the exact opposite of this? Should there not be more diversity in government? When members of the Senate,
Congress, and other high government positions remain in office for decades, does the government not seem more
stagnant and less democratic? The only two major political parties, the republicans and the democrats, have been
running the United States Government for the last 188 years, has this not created stagnation, corruption,
deadlocks, and favoritism? How can self-interested politicians be allowed to govern the redistricting process and
gerrymander the system, allowing the representative to choose their voters and not the voters choosing their
representative? How can so many gullible Americans allow politicians to use demagogue like tactics to fool
them with fearmongering and with such a negative message that is so blatantly negative, biased, and racists in
nature? Would the Russian hacking, manipulation of social media, or fake news during the 2016 election have
even mattered if more Americans weren’t so gullible? Why are there age of candidacy laws for the Presidency,
Vice Presidency, Senate, House of Representatives, and some other elected offices? Is this not age
discrimination? What will the political system of the United States be like in 50 years if more minorities are
elected to positions in the local, state, and federal government? The number of presidential news conferences has
fallen from an average of 72 press conferences per year when Calvin Coolidge was in office, to 20 press
conferences per year during the Obama administration. (697) How can a president which is supposed to represent
a government of the people, by the people, and for the people be so isolated from the people? Why is there a
press secretary, shouldn’t the president address the American public directly on a daily basis, even if for 1 0
minutes to briefly discuss what his daily activities consist of? How can the words of politicians be taken as
honest and sincere when they are created by a team of speech writers and not by the one conveying the actual
message?
The presidential pardon was intended to correct judicial error with thousands of pardons and commutations
having been issued over the last 240 years, but has since become a political tool to allow criminals to escape
justice. Political expediency can be seen in the pardons of Richard Nixon, Roger Clinton, 1. Lewis Libby, Marc
Rich, Caspar Weinberger, and others. Why is the public not more outraged when these convicted criminals
receive a pardon or commutation? What point does it serve to convict a high-profile criminal when the criminal
can get a pardon or commutation? The president is not an acting attorney or judge, and might also have very
little legal experience, what right does a president have to pardon or commute the judicial sentence of a
convicted criminal? How can the functioning justice system of a democracy be overridden by one individual as
if it were an autocracy? Should not these legal cases go through the appeals process and ultimately to the
Supreme Court to decide if need be, instead of being decided by a possibly unqualified, biased, or corrupt
individual?
Ever since the Pentagon Papers were exposed in 1971 by Daniel Ellsberg, it has been widely known that the
United States government operates secretively when it comes to some international and even domestic issues.
The United States government hides information and facts by deeming anything they want kept secret as ‘Top
Secret ’ or ‘Classified ’, while records and other evidence are sometimes destroyed or conveniently lost. And even
with Executive Order 13526 and the Freedom of Information Act, documents and other reports 75 years old
along with the truth remain hidden from the American public. When documents are released through the
Freedom of Information Act, many times they are redacted to the point of being useless and making the release
pointless. Why are so many government reports and government committee findings marked as classified and
kept secret from the American public? (e.g. the Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention
and Interrogation Program, a report compiled by the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
(SSCI) about the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)'s Detention and Interrogation Program and the use of
various forms of torture on detainees between 2001 and 2006 during the War on Terror’. Of the final 6,000 page
report, a total of 525 pages have been released to the public) Fortunately, for the world, history, and those who
seek the truth there are insiders like Edward Snowden, Bradley Edward Manning, Barrett Brown, Russ Tice,
William Binney, Thomas A. Drake, Mark Klein, Joel Clement, and other whistleblowers along with the some
news media and other organizations like ExposeFacts, OpenSecrets, GlobalLeaks, LiveLeak, Wikileaks, and
others which help to expose the lies and spread the truth with factual evidence which has been hidden from the
world.
There must be 1 00% transparency if government is to ever truly be of the people, by the people, and for the
people. Although there is far more transparency and accountability now than in years past, there is still much
secrecy. Secret meetings like that of the Bilderberg Group with the political, business, and academia elite from
Europe and North America have been occurring each year since 1954 and have always lacked transparency and
accountability. Sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s when computers and printers were becoming
mainstream, United States government agencies in cooperation with printer manufacturers and a consortium of
hanks implemented a secret printer steganography tracking system utilizing hidden codes which can identify the
exact printer used in printing any paper. This hidden technology has been used to catch counterfeiters,
whistleblowers, kidnappers, and other criminals but was only recently discovered by consumer privacy
advocates. (374) Why are the government and coiporations working together in secret to have the ability to track
any piece of paper ever printed in the world? Would consumers have willingly accepted this tracking if they
were initially informed of it? Why are global and domestic surveillance programs and tools like: STORMBREW,
MUSCULAR, OAKSTAR, ICREACH, MARINA, Dropmire, TRAFFICTHIEF, MonsterMind, Fusion centers,
MAINWAY, ECHELON, Frenchelon, Carnivore, PINWALE, Fairview, MYSTIC, DCSN, Tempora, PRISM,
Boundless Informant, D1SHF1RE, Stingray, BULLRUN, XKeyscore, and others allowed to operate with so little
public knowledge, oversight, and in such secrecy? Can a balance of security and privacy be achieved with global
surveillance programs and tools if there is more transparency and oversight? How can government officials like
J. Edgar Hoover be allowed to amass so much power while abusing it for more than 48 years? How could
McCarthyism last for so long ruining the lives of so many in such a democratic and free nation? How could a
government agency be allowed to conduct COINTELPRO projects against its own citizens, which attempted to
surveil, infiltrate, discredit, and disrupt the Civil Rights Movement, Black Power movement, feminist
organizations, anti-Vietnam War organizers, independence movements, other New Left organizations, or anyone
else which the FBI deemed subversive?
Many Homo sapiens around the world give a very large sum of their earned income to the government in the
form of taxes, on average around 25%, but sometimes as high as 40%. (86) In most parts of the world this is in
addition to the sales tax paid on nearly every item purchased and consumed including food, water, medicine, and
other commodities. Furthermore, many pay taxes on things annually that they have already paid for in full and
already paid a sales tax on such as a property or automobile, and if one inherits money they must again pay taxes
on money that has already been taxed and collected on. With so many taxes it leaves very little left of the actual
income to the one earning it. Some of the taxes collected are wasted on useless projects, exorbitant salaries, or
other senseless expenses in a continuous cycle of mismanagement and greed. While taxes in the United States
have remained relatively the same over the last decade the spending has increased dramatically. In 2000, there
was a $236,000,000,000 surplus, by 2009 it turned into a $1,400,000,000,000 deficit with outlays more than
doubling for national defense. Medicare, and other health programs. (87) With the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and
a meat consuming population which has a healthcare industry based on profits, is there any wonder as to why
this surplus turned into a deficit? How can the United States government, the wealthiest country in the world,
have government shutdowns due to failed legislation? Why are political parties allowed to stop a functioning
government and hold the government hostage in order to engage in their constant political tug-of-war? Shouldn’t
the ultimate goal of every politician be to work towards the progression of government and not to hinder it?
Poverty, Money, Greed, and Corporate Responsibility
There is in fact very little in this world that has not been touched, changed, influenced, or corrupted by money,
and it is usually is in the form of nature. There is nothing wrong with many of the ideas and systems that are
already in place which organization and help manage society, but like anything it can be beneficial if used
properly, or detrimental if abused. Take money for example, it has been in existence since the dawn of
civilization in one form or another, be it seashells, cocoa beans, gold, paper, or data, and it will most likely
continue to exist as it helps to facilitate trade and organize commerce among other things. But again, it can be
used in a beneficial or detrimental way and the decision is up to the individual who possesses it. One could be
like the wealthy individuals which use their acquired money for beneficial things that help many unfortunate
Homo sapiens by promoting education, helping to cure diseases, helping to rebuild devastated areas, etc. Or one
can be the total opposite and live like a fool squandering it on lavish useless things or hoarding their wealth for a
lifetime while doing nothing with it to change the world in a positive way. Like most everything else, it is simply
a matter of morals and individual choice which makes money bad, and only when those abuse it with greed and
ignorance. If necessities in life like food, medicine, and government are based mainly on money and profits, and
not on providing nutrition, medical care, and service to citizens, then they will most likely always be of poor
quality, over-priced, and corrupt. Albert Einstein said,
"I am absolutely convinced that no wealth in the world can help humanity forward, even in the hands of the most devoted
worker in this cause. The example of great and pure individuals is the only thing that can lead us to noble thoughts and deeds.
Money only appeals to selfishness and irresistibly invites abuse.” (55)
"However, the production and distribution of commodities is entirely unorganized so that everybody must live in fear of being
eliminated from the economic cycle, in this way suffering for the want of everything. Furthermore, people living in different
countries kill each other at irregular time intervals, so that also for this reason anyone who thinks about the future must live in
fear and terror. This is due to the fact that the intelligence and character of the masses are incomparably lower than the
intelligence and character of the few who produce something valuable for the community.” (57)
“The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil. We see before us a
huge community of producers the members of which are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their
collective labor-not by force, but on the whole in faithful compliance with legally established rules.” (64)
There is an estimated $80,900,000,000,000 cash dollars in the world (167). In 2015, there were 1,826 billionaires
(166) in the world with an estimated wealth of $7,100,000,000,000 and an estimated 15,360,000 millionaires with
an estimated wealth of $58,700,000,000,000. (165) If this rich minority took out their worth in cash that would
leave $15,000,000,000,000 for the remaining 7,150,000,000 Homo sapiens on Earth or around $2,098 per
person. If one took $0.01 and doubled it every day for 30 days, they would have $10,737,418. Is money that easy
to make? Does it really truly exist, or is it just what society deems it to be and really nothing more than a
number? Is the monetary value of something what someone declares it is worth, or only what someone will pay
for it? The Giving Pledge has 158 pledges, mostly billionaires, amounting to $365,000,000,000 dollars which
has been pledged to be given to philanthropic causes during their lifetime or upon the pledges death. What is the
point of pledging something and waiting so long, why can't a billionaire just keep enough to exist for the
remainder of their lifetime and give the rest immediately to a philanthropic cause? What is the point of money if
it is just sitting invested making interest, is it not meant to be spent? Why are antiquated monarchs even
recognized with the descendants of kings and queens still given a thrown, real estate, and money? Why do the
decedents of the king’s once subjects still honor and worship these antiquated socialites like they are out of some
fairy tale? Do they forget how their ancestors where oppressed under the rule of the monarchy for hundreds of
years?
Percentage change in income since 1979, adjusted for inflation
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
-50
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
SOURCE: Congressional Budget Office - CBO finds that, between 1979 and 2007, income grew by: 275 percent for the top 1 percent of
households; 65 percent for the next 19 percent; just under 40 percent for the next 60 percent; and 18 percent for the bottom 20 percent. -
https://www.cbo. gov/miblication/42729#section0
In the United States there were 38,900,000 cost-burdened households in 2015, with 11,100,000 renter
households being severely cost burdened with at least half their incomes going towards housing, a 3,700,000
increase from 2001. (657) As of December 2016, the total United States household indebtedness was
$12,580,000,000,000, with 4.8% of outstanding debt being in some stage of delinquency. Of the
$607,000,000,000 of debt which is delinquent, $412,000,000,000 is seriously delinquent being at least 90 days
late. (470) In the United States 43,100,000 Homo sapiens live in poverty, and 4,400,000 of them have a disability.
(172) How can 43,100,000 Homo sapiens be living in poverty in a country of such great wealth and prosperity
like the United States? Homo sapiens seem to be not only addicted to money but to the fantasy of being instantly
wealthy. In 2014, Homo sapiens in the United States spent $70,150,000,000 on lottery tickets, (183) in spite of
them only having a 1 in 258,890,850 chance of winning a Mega Million jackpot. (184) The global gambling
market in 2009 was $335,000,000,000 which included lotteries, casinos, and sports betting. (185) Why do so
many spend so much on something that they have so little chance of winning at? By comparison, Americans
spent $14,600,000,000 on books that same year. (183) The United States Congressional Budget Office issued a
report in 2016 which stated,
"In 2013, families in the top 10 percent of the wealth distribution held 76 percent of all family wealth, families in the 51st to
the 90th percentiles held 23 percent, and those in the bottom half of the distribution held 1 percent."
"For those at the bottom of the distribution of wealth between 1989 and 2013, but especially after 2007, the share of families
that had more debt than assets increased, as did their average indebtedness. For instance, 8 percent of families had more debt
than assets in 2007, and they were, on average, $20,000 in debt. By 2013, 12 percent of families had more debt than assets,
and they were, on average, $32,000 in debt."
"The distribution of wealth was more unequal in 2013 than it had been in 1989. In 2013, families in the top 10 percent held
more than three-quarters of all family wealth, whereas in 1989, their counterparts had held two-thirds of all family wealth.
Over the period, the share of wealth held by families in the 51st to the 90th percentiles declined from 30 percent to 23
percent, and the share of wealth held by families in the bottom half of the distribution declined from 3 percent to 1 percent."
"In 2013, those families were more in debt than their counterparts had been either in 1989 or in 2007. For instance, 8 percent
of families were in debt in 2007 and, on average, their debt exceeded their assets by $20,000. By 2013, in the aftermath of the
recession of 2007 to 2009, 12 percent of families were in debt and, on average, their debt exceeded their assets by $32,000.
The increase in average indebtedness between 2007 and 2013 for families in debt was mainly the result of falling home
equity and rising student loan balances. In 2007, 3 percent of families in debt had negative home equity: They owed, on
average, $16,000 more than their homes were worth. In 2013, that share was 19 percent of families in debt, and they owed, on
average, $45,000 more than their homes were worth. The share of families in debt that had outstanding student debt rose from
56 percent in 2007 to 64 percent in 2013, and the average amount of their loan balances increased from $29,000 to $41,000."
(463)
Figure 4.
Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate: 1959 to 2015
Numbers in millions Recession
> — sr\
Number in poverty
/ \
43.1 million
1 3.5 percent
1959 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Note: The data for 201 3 and beyond reflect the implementation of the redesigned income questions. The data points are placed at
the midpoints of the respective years. For information on recessions, see Appendix A. For information on confidentiality protection,
sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see <www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmarl 6. pdf>.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 1 960 to 2016 Annual Social and Economic Supplements.
In 2016, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme estimated there were 881,000,000 urban residents
living in slums throughout the world, a 28% increase from 689,000,000 in 1990. (292) In 2005, the United
Nations estimated that there were 100,000,000 Homo sapiens throughout the world completely homeless. (301) In
addition to this, UNESCO also estimates there are up to 150,000,000 ‘street children ’ currently living on the
streets of the world, scavenging and begging as a result of being forced from a home by violence, the death of a
parent, family breakdown, war, drug and alcohol abuse, socio-economic collapse, or natural disaster. (299) The
2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) delivered to the U.S. Congress by the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development reported that on a single night in January 2016 in the United States 549,928
individuals were experiencing homelessness, a 15% decline from 647,258 in 2007. Of this total, 373,571
individuals were staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, or safe havens while the
remaining 176,357 were staying in unsheltered locations with more than 52,890 of these individuals being
chronically homeless. Of those individuals that experienced homelessness in 2016, some 120,819 or 22% were
children, and 9 in 1 0 children experiencing homelessness were either staying in emergency shelters or
transitional housing programs. In 2016, there were 867,102 year-round beds available in United States
emergency shelters, transitional housing, permanent housing, safe havens, rapid rehousing, and other permanent
supportive housing. (586) In the United States, since 1987, some cities have simply relocated their homeless to
other mainland cities within the United States and sometimes even relocated them internationally passing the
burden onto other cities and other countries. A comprehensive investigation done by the Guardian in 2017
tracked 21,400 homeless bus relocations between 2011 and 20 1 7. (651) With so many available shelters and
programs, why are so many in unsheltered locations? Why do so many thousands of individuals experience
homelessness? One need only watch ‘Homeless Bound L.A. Skid Row ’ www.homelessboundla.com to see the
true reality of homelessness in a nation which has so many resources and so much wealth while the homeless
population has been ignored by most. Why are millions homeless in a world with millions of vacant houses,
hotel rooms, and government buildings? If real estate is primarily based on monetary factors and not social use,
there could always be chronic homelessness in a world of vacant buildings. When Philip Alston, the U.N.'s
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, visited Alabama he saw inadequate sanitation and
residents which often contract E. Coli and hookworm as a result and remarked that the sewage disposal crisis
was the direst he had seen in any developed country. (621) A 201 7 United Nations Human Rights report
concluded that,
"International and domestic financial institutions and markets are created and sustained by Governments and must be made
accountable to States human rights obligations. Millions of foreclosures, evictions and displacements and more than a billion
people living in grossly inadequate housing conditions and homelessness worldwide signal, among other things, the failure of
States and of the international community to manage the interaction between financial actors and housing systems in
accordance with the right to adequate housing. The value of global real estate is about US$ 217 trillion, nearly 60 per cent of
the value of all global assets, with residential real estate comprising 75 per cent of the total. In the course of one year, from
mid-2013 to mid-2014, corporate buying of larger properties in the top 100 recipient global cities rose from US$ 600 billion
to US$ 1 trillion."
"Elsewhere, fmancialization is linked to expanded credit and debt taken on by individual households made vulnerable to
predatory lending practices and the volatility of markets, the result of which is unprecedented housing precarity. Financialized
housing markets have caused displacement and evictions at an unparalleled scale: in the United States of America over the
course of 5 years, over 13 million foreclosures resulted in more than 9 million households being evicted. In Spain, more than
half a million foreclosures between 2008 and 2013 resulted in over 300,000 evictions. There were almost 1 million
foreclosures between 2009 and 2012 in Hungary."
"The 2008 global financial crisis revealed the fragility, volatility and predatory nature of financialized housing markets and
the potential for catastrophic outcomes both for individual households and for the global economy. In the United States of
America, there were an average of 10,000 foreclosures per day in 2008, and as many as 35 million individuals were affected
by evictions over a five-year period. Not only had people lost their homes but they faced personal financial ruin."
"Housing prices in so-called “hedge cities” like Hong Kong, London, Munich, Stockholm, Sydney and Vancouver have all
increased by over 50 per cent since 2011, creating vast amounts of increased assets for the wealthy while making housing
unaffordable for most households not already invested in the market."
A significant portion of investor-owned homes are simply left empty. In Melbourne, Australia, for example, 82,000 or one
fifth of investor-owned units lie empty. In the affluent boroughs of Chelsea and Kensington in the city of London, prime
locations for wealthy foreign investors, the number of vacant units increased by 40 per cent between 2013 and 2014. In such
markets, the value of housing is no longer based on its social use. The housing is as valuable whether it is vacant or occupied,
lived in or devoid of life. Homes sit empty while homeless populations burgeon."
"Corporate finance does not only profit from inflated prices in hedge cities, it also profits from housing crises. The global
financial crisis created unprecedented opportunities for buying distressed housing and real estate debt, which was sold off at
fire sale prices in countries such as Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United
States of America. The Blackstone Group, the world’s largest real estate private equity firm, managing $102 billion worth of
property, spent $10 billion to purchase repossessed properties in the United States of America at courthouses and in online
auctions following the 2008 financial crisis, emerging as the largest rental landlord in the country. Other major institutional
players invested $20 billion to purchase approximately 200,000 single-family homes in the United States between 2012 and
mid-2013."
"Many corporate owners of housing are nameless. In the first fiscal quarter of 2015, 58 per cent of all property purchases over
$3 million in the United States were made by limited liability companies rather than named people, and the majority of those
purchases were in cash, creating a greater level of anonymity." (300)
In 2015 and 2017, some 24,900,000 documents were leaked dubbed the ‘Panama Papers ’ and Paradise
Papers ’, which detail the secretive offshore financial world involving governments, businesses, and the wealthy
elite while also implicating politicians, public officials, and their close associates. Some of the shell corporations
were used for illegal activities like fraud, tax evasion, and to evade international sanctions. In 2011, 60 major
U.S. coiporations funneled $166,000,000,000 to offshore locations allowing them to avoid taxes on more than
40% of their annual profits. (191) Arecent study in 2017 of 258 Fortune 500 companies that were consistently
profitable in each year between 2008 and 2015 found that many of the coiporations payed far less than the 35%
federal income tax rate for profitable corporations and some paid nothing at all because of numerous tax
loopholes and special breaks they receive. The study found that,
"As a group, the 258 corporations paid an effective federal income tax rate of 2 1 .2 percent over the eight-year period, slightly
over half the statutory 35 percent tax rate. Eighteen of the corporations, including General Electric, International Paper,
Priceline.com and PG&E, paid no federal income tax at all over the eight-year period. A fifth of the corporations (48) paid an
effective tax rate of less than 10 percent over that period. Of those corporations in our sample with significant offshore
profits, more than half paid higher corporate tax rates to foreign governments where they operate than they paid in the United
States on their U.S. profits.
One hundred of the 258 companies (39 percent of them) paid zero or less in federal income taxes in at least one year from
2008 to 2015. The sectors with the lowest effective corporate tax rates over the eight-year period were Utilities, Gas and
Electric (3 . 1 percent), Industrial Machinery (1 1 .4 percent), Telecommunications (11.5 percent), Oil, Gas, and Pipelines (1 1 .6
percent), and Internet Services and Retailing (15.6 percent). Each of these industries paid, as a group, less than half the
statutory 35 percent tax rate over this eight-year period. The tax breaks claimed by these companies are highly concentrated
in the hands of a few very large corporations. Just 25 companies claimed $286 billion in tax breaks over the eight years
between 2008 and 2015. That’s more than half the $527 billion in tax subsidies claimed by all of the 258 companies in our
sample. Five companies — AT&T, Wells Fargo, J.P. Morgan Chase, Verizon, and IBM — enjoyed more than $130 billion in
tax breaks during the eight-year period." (241 )
Global saving glut or cash hoarding by the minority of wealthy individuals and more especially by coiporations
has increased dramatically. Moody's reported that the amount of cash which was held by non- financial
companies in the United States was $1,840,000,000,000 in 2016, a 9.2% increase from the $1,680,000,000,000
hoarded away in 2015. (589) If laws were enacted and enforced to help prevent this hoarding and hiding of
money, how much lower would individual taxes be? How many positive things like education, medicine,
conservation, etc. could this money have been spent on?
Society’s prevailing ignorance is as apparent as it always has been throughout history in that negative things,
(e.g. cigarettes, alcohol, guns, etc.) are legal and even encouraged and thus used even though it is known that
they have a negative impact and can even cause death. This ignorance is often masked under the term ‘Freedom ’
or ‘A God Given Right Societies have laws and attempt to prevented things like murder and other activities
which are deemed as crimes, so why is it that other negative things like cigarettes and guns are legal and often
even encouraged? The government has many laws to protect citizens, so why are the tobacco, alcohol, meat and
dairy, asbestos, oil, plastic, chemical, and other similar industries allowed to make money off a product that the
government knows has killed millions of Homo sapiens or destroys Earth and continues to every day? Why does
the government stop some harmful things, yet when it comes others which are based around money and profits it
is ok to kill Homo sapiens ? Where is the justice for the millions of Homo sapiens which have died as a result of
some companies knowingly and willingly selling deadly products and services to consumers they know could be
potentially harmful to their health? What good is a scientific study for human health or environmental protection
if it is done by the corporations themselves and not an independent scientifically accredited unbiased source?
Many corporations have been irresponsible towards Earth and society all in the name of money and profit, they
have lied and mislead the public through propaganda campaigns aimed at debunking scientific evidence and
ultimately attempted to hide their true actions and the negative consequences which result from using their
products. Most product packaging far out lasts the product which is contained within that product packaging, this
is especially true for food products. Where is the corporate responsibility for the littering of trillions of pieces of
product packaging that is now trash and pollutes the Earth? Shouldn't the company be held accountable to clean
up the mess it created all in the name of profits?
Modem society basing nearly everything around money and profits with little or no regard if it damages other
Homo sapiens or the Earth, is a true ‘tragedy of the commons If governments and corporations continue to push
for solutions with technology based around profits, and not solutions based on coexistence, conservation,
sustainability, and moderation, will the environmental issues continue to occur and perhaps get even worse? If
environmental issues occur and the pseudo solution is only further destruction, and not logically analyzing and
solving the cause of the issue, how can the issues ever truly be solved? Why do Homo sapiens continuously
attempt to solve avoidable issues with technology instead of coexisting on Earth by practicing conservation and
using the precious limited resources cautiously? If manufacturers have the ability to make eco-friendly products
and don’t want to willingly work towards conservation, then shouldn’t the government create more legislation
which requires them to do so? If energy efficient appliances and electronics are available and have been for some
time, why is there even a choice, why not a law requiring that all appliances and electronics be designed so they
are energy efficient? If front-load washing machines are more efficient than top-load washing machines using
half the amount of water, why then not enact a law requiring all washer machines be made in the front -style
manner? Why are there not more environmental laws requiring commercial companies to make all their products
eco-friendly, energy efficient, biodegradable, and more durable for a longer lifespan to use the product? Products
in the past were made far more durable, and this was what companies often took pride in and what eliminated
their competition. Most companies today base product manufacturing not on quality and lifespan use, but how
many they can make, and how many they can get a consumer to purchase during their lifetime. Martin Luther
King Jr. wrote,
“The stability of the large world house which is ours will involve a revolution of values to accompany the scientific and
freedom revolutions engulfing the earth. We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thing”-oriented society to a “person”-
oriented society. When machines and computers profit motives and property rights are considered more important than
people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered. A civilization can flounder
as readily in the face of moral and spiritual bankruptcy as it can through financial bankruptcy.
This revolution of values must go beyond traditional capitalism and Communism. We must honestly admit that capitalism has
often left a gulf between superfluous wealth and abject poverty, has created conditions pennitting necessities to be taken from
the many to give luxuries to the few and has encouraged smallhearted men to become cold and conscienceless so that, like
Dives before Lazarus, they are unmoved by suffering, poverty-stricken humanity. The profit motive, when it is the sole basis
of an economic system, encourage a cutthroat competition and selfish ambition that inspire men to be more I-centered than
thou-centered.” (665)
In the 1970s Americans were exposed to around 500 ads per day, in 2003 this number increased to 5,000 ads per
day. (557) Today native advertising is replacing traditional advertising, and many times consumers are fooled into
thinking that an advertisement is an actual news story or requested Internet content, with the mini words ‘ad’
often camouflaged which makes it nearly unnoticeable. If there were no commercial advertising and consumers
simply sought out a product or service when they needed it, how much less consumption would there be? The
PBS Frontline reports: ‘The Persuaders ’ November 9, 2004, ‘The Merchants of Cool ’ February 27, 200 1 , and
‘Generation Like ’ February 18, 2004 all detail how corporations utilize marketing, and how through new
technologies they are marketing and influencing a new generation of consumers. In addition, the BBC
documentary ‘The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis 2002, explains how Edward Bemays used propaganda to
help corporations influence consumer decisions. In Bemays 1928 book ‘Propaganda ’ he said.
"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in
democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the
true ruling power of our country.
We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This
is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in
this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society.
In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical
thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons. ..who understand the mental processes and social
patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.” (33)
Most current business models in today's society are based mainly on greed and profits through how many
products can be sold, and it has ultimately led to the 'throw away and buy a new product' consumer habits and
attitudes. This mentality was invented by corporations to bolster product consumption and increase profits, and it
began being encouraged around 60 years ago by corporations through advertisements and even the mainstream
news media with stories like the August 1955 LIFE magazine article titled ‘Throwaway Living’. Some products
have built-in obsolescence to ensure that the product will become obsolete or unfashionable very soon after
purchase, and thus force the consumer to buy the newer version. Many products are manufactured so cheaply
that one piece of the product will fail, (e.g. a wheel, handle, zipper, battery, etc.) making the product useless,
replacement parts are rarely if ever available, or are often more expensive than to buy a new one, so consumers
have no choice but to discard the nearly usable product and buy a new one. Why are business models based on
profits and not creating a good quality product? Shouldn’t businesses create products based on the following
criteria: 1. How eco-friendly the product is, 2. How well the product functions, and 3. How long the product can
be used? What if competition of commercial products was based on quality and environmentally friendliness
versus advertising and pseudo information? To think of how some Homo sapiens running these corporations are
acting towards not only the Earth, but to fellow Homo sapiens is beyond imagination. How can anyone take
advantage of something solely for the profit of money, while killing nature and Homo sapiens alike
indiscriminately and willingly?
Perhaps at some point Homo sapiens will see the reality and want something different, and maybe then they will
also see that the system is what needs fixing, old methods changed, and that those running it need replacing.
Commercial companies, purely for profits are creating mass produced products and influencing consumers to
think they want or need these products, when in fact they do not truly want or need them at all. If products are
invented and manufactured based around consumption and money versus actual need and use, then there will be
most likely be a continuous stream of mass produced junk serving no real purpose other than to pollute Earth and
give consumers pseudo satisfaction. If this continues the mass consumption will continue, and the cycle of waste
will perhaps never end and become even worse. If consumers can stop being so easily persuaded into purchasing
needless products based on the propaganda of commercial companies, this will eliminate much of the mass
consumption and waste. Will consumers ever wise up to corporate marketing tactics and see the reality that the
corporations are engaged in to make the almighty dollar? Perhaps Homo sapiens will one day recognize they are
being used and manipulated by corporations into living their current consumption-based lifestyles, and how they
have allowed some coiporations to rule their lives and push unhealthy and environmentally destructive products
and services on them for the last 100 years. Perhaps citizens will demand the government enact stricter
conservation laws and force commercial companies to move towards more environmentally friendly practices
like it has already begun to do, and thus the consumer will have no choice but to buy green products as that will
be all that is available for consumption. Homo sapiens can be forced towards conservation by laws and no other
option, but society would move far more willingly and rapidly if shown through education and by example the
correct way of doing things.
If things are to change either consumers will demand natural alternatives and change with their lifestyle choices,
commercial companies will see the wrong of their actions, or commercial companies and citizens will be forced
into change by the government through regulations enacted to help safeguard the environment and consumer
health. Commercial companies very easily could use their current marketing techniques and make the
mainstream choices for consumption more natural while still making money and profits, consumers will always
be consuming, it is simply a matter of what is available to consume. Shouldn’t commercial companies who make
the products available for consumption be responsible for not only making the product safe for consumers, but
also making an environmentally friendly product by making it healthy, non-toxic, natural, and bio-degradable? It
is a matter of the company either not caring about the side-effects and the negative consequences of their actions,
or they do not see the wrong in their ways and are delusional to the point of thinking they are actually helping
Homo sapiens, when in fact they are doing just the opposite. Paul Hawken wrote,
"The ultimate purpose of business is not, or should not be, simply to make money. Nor is it merely a system of making and
selling things. The promise of business is to increase the general well-being of humankind through service, a creative
invention and ethical philosophy. Making money is, on its own terms, totally meaningless, an insufficient pursuit for the
complex and decaying world we live in. We have reached an unsettling and portentous turning point in industrial
civilization." (662)
As a result of consolidations, acquisitions, mergers, forced bankruptcies, and other takeover methods many
business sectors today are now oligopolies, and it has also created a monopoly in some industries affecting
supply and demand, and ultimately allowed some corporations to practice price fixing while also exercising vast
influence and control over consumer choices. This has also led to less quality, innovation, and over pricing in
some industries and services, while also limiting consumer access to basic things like Internet access, medical
services, education, etc. Profit margins are exorbitant on many necessities like food, medical care, funeral
services, automobile repair, legal representation, etc. There seems to be no limit on how much profit an
individual or companies are willing to make, leading to further greed and resulting in even more unfortunate
victims of the greed. The exorbitant prices on many things is appalling, charging consumers $400 for an item
that only cost $25 to manufacture, and even worse these vast profits go mostly to a few individuals and not those
who actual invent, manufacture, transport, and sell the product. How can businesses practice price gouging
during natural disasters or public gatherings? How can it be legal to charge $5 or more for a small bottle of water
which is something that is a vital necessity to live? Why are there not more price ceilings enacted by the
government on commodities to prevent such price gouging?
Some businesses now force customers to purchase unnecessary and unwanted things, and some even charging
for things that were previously free. (e.g. many restaurants are now forcing customers to buy bottled water and
refusing to serve tap water) While other businesses make vast profits by charging for what they call a
‘convenience fee or ser\’ice charge ’, one cannot even access their money without sometimes being charged an
outlandish fee by their own and other banks. JP Morgan Chase, Rank of America, and Wells Fargo combined
made $6,000,000,000 from ATM and overdraft fees in 2015. (227) Americans have around $750,000,000,000 in
credit card debt, and with no legal limits on the amount of interest or fees that a credit card company can charge
a consumer, it has helped to make credit cards one of the most profitable sectors for the banking industry. The
November 2004 PBS Frontline program, ‘The Secret History of the Credit Card’ gives a detailed perspective and
history on the credit card industry.
The 2007 and 2008 world food price crises as well as the 2011 and 2012 world food price increases were blamed
on oil prices, drought, overpopulation, low food surpluses, and other economic factors. After the food price
increases in the United States, food prices rose, and many food companies in response made the product size less
while maintaining the increased price point, a business practice called shrinkflation. In the United Kingdom,
between 2012 and 2017, there were 2,529 retail products, 2,006 of which were food items, that decreased in size
while the price of most products remained the same. (462) Could the increased food prices be in part caused by
corporate greed? Five main exporters provide around 90% of maize, 80% of rice, and 70% of wheat to the world.
If the world's main foods were more varied and not restricted to maize, rice, and wheat, could possible future
food crises be avoided?
Financial institution failures have become more commonplace recently. Between 1935 and 1942 there were 381
financial institutions which completely failed, between 1980 and 1994 there were 2,354 financial institutions
which failed completely, and 570 additional ones which received a government bailout to sustain operations.
Between 2008 and 2014 there were 504 financial institutions which failed completely and 13 which required a
government bailout to sustain operations. During the other years in between these financial crises there were on
average less than 10 per year. (556) Perhaps this is a sign that capitalism in its current form can only go for so
long with corruption and greed taking its toll until eventually the system has been plundered and must be reset
with bailouts, the government must step in and change interest rates, and enact new laws to help prevent future
manipulation and crashes. But as history has shown with corrupt financial systems that are constantly being
manipulated negatively, the only thing that truly eliminates all greed and corruption is strict laws and most
important, the refusal to take part in it.
Some Major Financial Fiascos
Tulip Mania
Tulip mania was a period in the Dutch Golden Age during which contract prices for bulbs of the recently
introduced tulip reached extraordinarily high levels and then suddenly collapsed. At the peak of tulip
mania, in March 1637, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a
skilled craftsman. It is generally considered the first recorded speculative bubble (or economic bubble),
although some researchers have noted that the Kipper- und Wipperzeit episode in 1619-22, a Europe¬
wide chain of debasement of the metal content of coins to fund warfare, featured mania-like similarities
to a bubble. Nearly a century later, during the crash of the Mississippi Company and the South Sea
Company in about 1720, tulip mania appeared in satires of these manias. When Johann Beckmann first
described tulip mania in the 1780s, he compared it to the failing lotteries of the time. In Goldgar's view,
even many modern popular works about financial markets, such as Burton Malkiel's A Random Walk
Down Wall Street (1973) and John Kenneth Galbraith's A Short History of Financial Euphoria (1990;
written soon after the crash of 1987), used the tulip mania as a lesson in morality. Tulip mania again
became a popular reference during the dot-com bubble of 1995-2001.
Black Tuesday
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, began on October 24, 1929 ("Black Tuesday"), and was the most
devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, when taking into consideration the full
extent and duration of its after effects. The crash, which followed the London Stock Exchange's crash of
September, signaled the beginning of the 12-year Great Depression that affected all Western
industrialized countries.
The Brothers
The Brothers was a large investment operation in Costa Rica, from the late 1980s until 2002, eventually
exposed as a Ponzi scheme. The fund was operated by brothers Luis Enrique and Osvaldo Villalobos.
Investigators determined that the scam took in at least $400 million. Most of the clientele were American
and Canadian retirees but some Costa Ricans also invested the minimum $10,000. About 6,300
individuals ultimately were involved. Interest rates were 3% per month, usually paid in cash, or 2.8%
compounded. The ability to pay such high interest was attributed to Luis Enrique Villalobos' existing
agricultural aviation business, investment in unspecified European high yield funds, and loans to Coca
Cola, among others. Osvaldo Villalobos' role was primarily to move money around a large number of
shell companies and then pay investors. In May 2007, Osvaldo Villalobos was sentenced to 18 years in
prison for fraud and illegal banking, while Luis Enrique Villalobos remains a fugitive.
Jean Pierre Van Rossem
In the 1980"s, Jean Pierre Van Rossem ran a stock market investment company called "Moneytron" in
Belgium. The company was revealed to have been a scheme, Van Rossem had developed a so called
model that could predict the stock market and beat the capitalist system, he invested for the very wealthy
in the world and gatherd around 860 million dollars (34.692.321.673 Belgian Franc). Due to belief in the
Moneytron system and also his sense of show and publicity he made large sums of money. He also
traded duplicated stocks. In 1991, he was sentenced to 5 years in jail for scams; according to him, it was
"Away to flick the system".
MMM Ponzi Scheme
MMM was a Russian company that perpetrated one of the world's largest Ponzi schemes of all time. By
different estimates from 5 to 40 million people lost up to $10 billion. The company started attracting
money from private investors, promising annual returns of up to 1000%. It is unclear whether a Ponzi
scheme was the initial intention, as such extravagant returns might have been possible during the
Russian hyperinflation in such commerce as import -export.
Black Monday
In finance, Black Monday refers to Monday, October 19, 1987, when stock markets around the world
crashed, shedding a huge value in a very short time. The crash began in Hong Kong and spread west to
Europe, hitting the United States after other markets had already declined by a significant margin. The
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell exactly 508 points to 1,738.74 (22.61%).
Savings and Loan Crisis
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of 1,043 out of the 3,234 savings and
loan associations in the United States from 1986 to 1995. A savings and loan or "thrift" is a financial
institution that accepts savings deposits and makes mortgage, car and other personal loans to individual
members (a cooperative venture known in the United Kingdom as a building society). By 1995, the RTC
had closed 747 failed institutions nationwide, worth a total possible book value of between $402 and
$407 billion. In 1996, the General Accounting Office estimated the total cost to be $160 billion,
including $132.1 billion taken from taxpayers. The market share of S&Ls for single family mortgage
loans went from 53% in 1975 to 30% in 1990. U.S. General Accounting Office estimated cost of the
crisis to around $160.1 billion, about $124.6 billion of which was directly paid for by the U.S.
government from 1986 to 1996. That figure does not include thrift insurance funds used before 1986 or
after 1996. It also does not include state run thrift insurance funds or state bailouts. The federal
government ultimately appropriated $105 billion to resolve the crisis. After banks repaid loans through
various procedures, there was a net loss to taxpayers of approximately $124-132.1 billion by the end of
1999. Keating's Lincoln Savings failed in 1989, costing the federal government over $3 billion and
leaving 23,000 customers with worthless bonds. In the early 1990s, Keating was convicted in both
federal and state courts of many counts of fraud, racketeering and conspiracy. He served four and a half
years in prison before those convictions were overturned in 1996. In 1999, he pleaded guilty to a more
limited set of wire fraud and bankruptcy fraud counts, and sentenced to the time he had already served.
Neil Bush, the son of then Vice President of the United States George H. W. Bush, was on the Board of
Directors of Silverado at the time. Neil Bush paid a $50,000 fine, paid for him by Republican supporters,
and was banned from banking activities for his role in taking down Silverado, which cost taxpayers $1.3
billion. An RTC suit against Bush and other Silverado officers was settled in 1991 for $26.5 million.
Romanian Ponzi Scheme
In Romania, between 1991 and 1994, the Caritas scheme run by the "Caritas" company of Cluj-Napoca,
owned by loan Stoica promised eight times the money invested in six months. It attracted 400,000
depositors from all over the country who invested 1,257 billion lei (about US$1 billion) before it finally
went bankrupt on August 14, 1994, having a debt of US$450 million. The owner, loan Stoica, was
sentenced in 1995 by the Cluj Court to a total of seven years in prison for fraud, but he appealed and it
was reduced to two years; then he went on to the Supreme Court of Justice and the sentence was finally
reduced to one year and a half.
Towers Investors
Towers Investors, a bill collection agency, collapsed in 1993; in 1995, chairman Steven Hoffenberg
pleaded guilty to bilking investors out of $475 million. Judge Robert W. Sweet sentenced him to 20
years in prison, plus a $1 million fine and $463 million in restitution. He settled a civil suit with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission for $60 million. He briefly was the owner of the New York Post.
At the time the SEC considered the fraud to be "one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history."
European Kings Club
Scheme
In late 1994, the European Kings Club collapsed, with ensuing losses of about $1.1 billion. This scam
was led by Damara Bertges and Hans Gunther Spachtholz. In the Swiss canton of Uri and Glarus, it was
estimated that about one adult in ten invested into the EKC. The scam involved buying "letters" valued
at 1,400 Swiss francs that entitled buyers to receive 12 monthly payments of 200 Swiss francs. The
organisation was based in Gelnhausen, Germany.
Bre-X Gold Scheme
Bre-X was a group of companies in Canada. Bre-X Minerals Ltd., a major part of Bre-X based in
Calgary, was involved in a major gold mining scandal when it reported it was sitting on an enormous
gold deposit at Busang, Indonesia (in Borneo). Bre-X bought the Busang site in March 1993 and in
October 1995 announced significant amounts of gold had been discovered, sending its stock price
soaring. Originally a penny stock, its stock price reached a peak at CAD $286.50 (split adjusted) in May
1996 on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE), with a total capitalization of over CAD $6 billion. Bre-X
Minerals collapsed in 1997 after the gold samples were found to be a fraud. By May, Bre-X faced a
number of lawsuits and angry investors who had lost billions. Among the major losers were three
Canadian public sector organizations: The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Board (loss of $45
million), the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, the Quebec Public Sector Pension fluid ($70
million), and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan ($100 million). In 1999 the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police (RCMP) announced it was ending its investigation without laying criminal charges against
anyone.
David Walsh founded Bre-X Minerals Ltd. in 1989 as a subsidiary of Bresea Resources Ltd. The
company did not make a significant profit before 1993, when Walsh followed the advice of geologist
John Felderhof and bought a property in the middle of a jungle near the Busang River in Kalimantan,
Indonesia. The first estimate of the site by its project manager (Filipino geologist Michael de Guzman)
was approximately 2 million Troy ounces. The fraud began to unravel rapidly on March 19, 1997, when
Filipino Bre-X geologist Michael de Guzman reportedly committed suicide by jumping from a
helicopter in Busang, Indonesia.] A body was found four days later in the jungle, missing the hands and
feet, and with the penis "surgically removed". On the other hand the body was reportedly mostly eaten
by animals and identified from molars and a thumbprint. (According to journalist John McBeth, a body
had gone missing from the morgue of the town from which the helicopter flew. The remains of "de
Guzman" were found only 400 metres from a logging road. No one saw the body except another Filipino
geologist who claimed it was de Guzman. And one of the five women who considered themselves his
wife was receiving monetary payments from somebody long after the supposed death of de Guzman.
Walsh moved to the Bahamas in 1998, still professing his innocence. Two masked gunmen broke into
his home in Nassau, tying him up, and threatened to shoot him unless he turned over all his money. The
incident ended peacefully but three weeks later, on June 4, 1998, Walsh died of a brain aneurysm.
Greater Ministries Scheme
From 1993 until 1997, a church named Greater Ministries International in Tampa, Florida, headed by
Gerald Payne bilked over 18,000 people out of $500 million. Payne and other church elders promised
the church members double their money back, citing Biblical scripture. However, nearly all the money
was lost or hidden away. Church leaders received prison sentences ranging from 13 to 27 years.
Albanian Ponzi Scheme
In the mid-1990s, Albania was transitioning into a liberalized market economy after years under a State-
controlled economy reinforced by the cult of personality involving longtime Communist leader Enver
Hoxha; the rudimentary financial system became dominated by pyramid schemes, and government
officials tacitly endorsed a series of pyramid investment funds. Many Albanians, approximately two-
thirds of the population, invested in them. In 1997, Albanians, who had lost $1.2 billion, took their
protest to the streets where uncontainable rioting and attacks on government infrastructure led to the
toppling of the government and the temporary existence of a stateless society. Although technically a
Ponzi Scheme, the Albanian scams were commonly referred to as pyramid schemes both popularly and
by the International Monetary Fund.
National Heritage Life
Insurance Company
Scheme
Sholam Weiss (also spelled Shalom Weiss; bom April 1, 1954) is an American former businessman and
convicted felon. In 2000, he was convicted of multiple fraud and money laundering counts and
sentenced to 845 years in prison for looting the National Heritage Life Insurance Company of over $450
million. It was believed to be the largest insurance failure in history at the time.The sentence imposed on
Weiss is believed to be the longest known to have ever been imposed for a white-collar crime. It is also
believed to be the longest criminal sentence ever imposed at the federal level in American history. Weiss
was convicted of 78 counts including racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering and ordered to pay
$125 million in restitution and $123 million in penalties. About a dozen individuals were convicted for
involvement in the collapse; another defendant, Keith Pound, received a 750-year sentence, and $139
million in restitution. Pound died in prison in 2004 at age 51.
Slatkin Ponzi Scheme
From 1986 to 2001, Slatkin raised approximately $593 million from about 800 wealthy investors. Using
the funds from later investors, he paid one group of early investors $279M on their original $128M
investment, citing investment success without actually making most of the claimed investments. He also
distributed millions in fees to associates as "consultants". He successfully sustained the scheme until
2001, when it was shut down by an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC). Slatkin pleaded guilty to mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice and
on September 2, 2003, he was sentenced to fourteen years in federal prison.
Dot-com Bubble
The dot-com bubble was a historic speculative bubble covering roughly 1995-2001 during which stock
markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the Internet sector
and related fields. While the latter part was a boom and bust cycle, the Internet boom is sometimes
meant to refer to the steady commercial growth of the Internet with the advent of the World Wide Web,
as exemplified by the first release of the Mosaic web browser in 1993, and continuing through the
1990s. On March 10, 2000 the NASDAQ peaked at 5,132.52 intraday before closing at 5,048.62.
Afterwards, the NASDAQ fell as much as 78%. The stock market crash of 2000-2002 caused the loss of
$5 trillion in the market value of companies from March 2000 to October 2002,As of September 24,
2002, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had lost 27% of the value it held on January 1 , 200 1 : a total loss
of 5 trillion dollars. The Dow Jones had already lost 9% of its peak value at the start of 2001, while the
Nasdaq had lost 44%. At the March 2000 top, the sum in valuation of all NYSE-listed companies stood
at $12.9 trillion, and the valuation sum of all NASDAQ-listed companies stood at $5.4 trillion, for a total
market value of $18.3 trillion. The NASDAQ subsequently lost nearly 80% and the S&P 500 lost 50% to
reach the October 2002 lows. The total market value of NYSE (7.2) and NASDAQ ( 1 .8) companies at
that time was only $9 trillion, for an overall market loss of $9.3 trillion.
Haitian Ponzi Scheme
In 2001, the Haitian population fell prey to Ponzi schemers offering rates up to 15%. The outfits, called
"cooperatives", appeared to be implicitly backed by the government and became wildly popular in the
population at large, who felt safe since the co-ops were openly advertising in the radio and TV ads using
Haitian pop stars as spokespeople. It is estimated that more than $240 million was swindled from
investors, equivalent to 60% of the country's government budget.
Enron Scandal
The Enron scandal, publicized in October 2001, eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron
Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, and the de facto dissolution of
Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world. In
addition to being the largest bankruptcy reorganization in American history at that time, Enron was cited
as the biggest audit failure. Enron's shareholders lost $74 billion in the four years before the company's
bankruptcy ($40 to $45 billion was attributed to fraud). As Enron had nearly $67 billion that it owed
creditors, employees and shareholders received limited, if any, assistance aside from severance from
Enron. To pay its creditors, Enron held auctions to sell assets including art, photographs, logo signs, and
its pipelines. In May 2004, more than 20,000 of Enron's former employees won a suit of $85 million for
compensation of $2 billion that was lost from their pensions. From the settlement, the employees each
received about $3,100. The next year, investors received another settlement from several banks of $4.2
billion. In September 2008, a $7.2-billion settlement from a $40-billion lawsuit, was reached on behalf
of the shareholders. The settlement was distributed among the main plaintiff, University of California
(UC), and 1.5 million individuals and groups. UC's law firm Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman and
Robbins, received $688 million in fees, the highest in a U.S. securities fraud case. Kenneth Lee Lay was
the CEO and chairman of Enron Corporation. Lay was indicted by a grand jury and was found guilty of
10 counts of securities fraud. Lay died while vacationing, three months before his October 23
sentencing. A preliminary autopsy reported Lay had died of a heart attack caused by coronary artery
disease and his conviction was vacated. Chase paid out over $2 billion in fines and legal settlements for
their role in financing Enron Corporation with aiding and abetting Enron Corp.'s securities fraud, which
collapsed amid a financial scandal in 200 1 . In 2003, Chase paid $ 1 60 million in fines and penalties to
settle claims by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Manhattan district attorney's office. In
2005, Chase paid $2.2 billion to settle a lawsuit filed by investors in Enron.
WorldCom Scandal
Beginning modestly during mid- 1999 and continuing at an accelerated pace through May 2002, the
company — directed by Ebbers (as CEO), Scott Sullivan (CFO), David Myers (Controller), and Buford
"Buddy" Yates (Director of General Accounting) — used fraudulent accounting methods to disguise its
decreasing earnings to maintain the price of WorldCom’s stock. In 2002, a small team of internal
auditors at WorldCom worked together, often at night and secretly, to investigate and reveal $3.8 billion
worth of fraud. Soon thereafter, the company’s audit committee and board of directors were notified of
the fraud and acted swiftly: Sullivan was dismissed, Myers resigned, Arthur Andersen withdrew its audit
opinion for 2001, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began an investigation into
these matters on June 26, 2002 (see accounting scandal). By the end of 2003, it was estimated that the
company's total assets had been inflated by about $11 billion. This made the WorldCom scandal the
largest accounting fraud in American history until the exposure of Bernard Madoff s $64 billion Ponzi
scheme in 2008. On March 15, 2005, Bernard Ebbers was found guilty of all charges and convicted of
fraud, conspiracy and filing false documents with regulators — all related to the $11 billion accounting
scandal. On July 13, 2005, Bernard Ebbers received a sentence that would keep him imprisoned for 25
years. At time of sentencing, Ebbers was 63 years old.
HcalthSouth Accounting
Scandal
The first of HealthSouth's accounting problems surfaced in late 2002 after CEO Richard M. Scrushy
sold $75 million in stock several days before the company posted a large loss. HcalthSouth was accused
by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of an accounting scandal where the company's
earnings were falsely inflated by $1.4 billion. In 1996, Scrushy allegedly instructed the company's senior
officers and accountants to falsify company earnings reports in order to meet investor expectations and
control the price of the company's stock. The fraud continued for seven years. In certain fiscal years, the
company's income was overstated by as much as 4700%. The $1.4 billion represents more than 10% of
the company's total assets. At one point, the company's corporate taxes — based on its fraudulent
earnings — were higher than its actual earnings. In 1998, HcalthSouth was accused of violation of the
Securities Exchange Act by failing to disclose negative trends and misrepresenting company's financial
information.
In March 2003, HealthSouth's CEO Richard M. Scrushy was charged with the accounting fraud and the
SEC announced it was investigating whether Scrushy's stock sell was related to HcalthSouth posting a
large loss. HcalthSouth hired an outside law firm to review Scrushy's stock sale, with the firm
concluding that the sale and profit loss were not related, although this did not take the company off the
SEC's radar. On the evening of March 18, 2003 FBI agents executed search warrants at the company's
headquarters after the company's Chief Financial Officer William Owens agreed to wear a wire in a
failed attempt to get Scrushy to talk about the fraud. In June 2005, Scrushy was acquitted on all 36 of the
accounting fraud counts against him, most notably one count in violation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
However, four years later, he was sued for fraud by HealthSouth investors and ordered to repay his
company $2.8 billion.
Bre-X Gold Scheme
Bre-X was a group of companies in Canada. Bre-X Minerals Ltd., a major part of Bre-X based in
Calgary, was involved in a major gold mining scandal when it reported it was sitting on an enormous
gold deposit at Busang, Indonesia (in Borneo). Bre-X bought the Busang site in March 1993 and in
October 1995 announced significant amounts of gold had been discovered, sending its stock price
soaring. Originally a penny stock, its stock price reached a peak at CAD $286.50 (split adjusted) in May
1996 on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE), with a total capitalization of over CAD $6 billion. Bre-X
Minerals collapsed in 1997 after the gold samples were found to be a fraud.
By May, Bre-X faced a number of lawsuits and angry investors who had lost billions. Among the major
losers were three Canadian public sector organizations: The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement
Board (loss of $45 million), the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, the Quebec Public Sector
Pension fund ($70 million), and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan ($100 million). There was fallout in
the Canadian financial sector also; the fraud proved a major embarrassment for Peter Munk, the head of
Barrick Gold, as well as for the then-head of the Toronto Stock Exchange (resulting in his ousting by
1999), and began a tumultuous realignment of the Canadian stock exchanges.
Walsh moved to the Bahamas in 1998, still professing his innocence. Two masked gunmen broke into
his home in Nassau, tying him up, and threatened to shoot him unless he turned over all his money. The
incident ended peacefully but three weeks later, on June 4, 1998, Walsh died of a brain aneurysm. In
1999 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced it was ending its investigation without
laying criminal charges against anyone. Critics charged that the RCMP was underfunded and
understaffed to handle complex criminal fraud cases, and also charged that Canadian laws in this area
were inadequate. However, despite the dropping of criminal charges, civil class action suits against Bre-
X directors, advising financial firms and Kilbom continued. Bre-X went bankrupt November 5, 1997
although some of its subsidiaries like Bro-X continued until 2003. In May 1999, the Ontario Securities
Commission charged Felderhof with insider trading. No other member of Bre-X's board of directors, or
others associated with the Busang project, were charged by the OSC. The OSC admitted that there is no
evidence that Felderhof was either involved in the fraud or was aware of the fraud.
Mutual Benefit Life
Insurance Company Ponzi
From 1994 to May 2004, Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company purchased life insurance policies
from the elderly and persons suffering from AIDS and other chronic illnesses which they then sold
Scheme
fractionalized interests in insurance policy death benefits, known as “viatical settlements,” to 30,000
investors scamming more than $837 million. Mastermind lawyer Anthony Livoti was sentenced to 10
years in prison and ordered to pay over $800 million in restitution to victims.
2000s Energy Crisis
From the mid-1980s to September 2003, the inflation-adjusted price of a barrel of crude oil on NYMEX
was generally under US$25/barrel. During 2003, the price rose above $30, reached $60 by 1 1 August
2005, and peaked at $147.30 in July 2008. During this timeframe in 2005, ExxonMobil surpassed Wal-
Mart as the world's largest publicly held corporation when measured by revenue, although Wal-Mart
remained the largest by number of employees. ExxonMobil's $340 billion revenues in 2005 were a 25.5
percent increase over their 2004 revenues. In 2006, Wal-Mart recaptured the lead with revenues of
$348.7 billion against ExxonMobil's $335.1. ExxonMobil continued to lead the world in both profits
($39.5 billion in 2006) and market value ($460.43 billion). In 2007, ExxonMobil had a record net
income of $40.61 billion on $404,552 billion of revenue, an increase largely due to escalating oil prices
as their actual BOE production decreased by 1 percent, in part due to expropriation of their Venezuelan
assets by the Chavez government. As of December 2013, ExxonMobil occupied five out of ten slots for
Largest Corporate Annual Earnings of All Time and two out of ten on Largest Corporate Quarterly
Earnings.
James Paul Lewis Jr.
In May 2006, James Paul Lewis, Jr. was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for running a $311
million Ponzi scheme over a 20-year period. He operated under the name Financial Advisory
Consultants from Lake Forest, California.
Chinese Ant Fanns
Scheme
More than 1 million Chinese people lost over $1.2 billion in a scheme involving ant farming. The
Yilishen Tianxi Group was a Chinese company established in 1999 which sold traditional Chinese
medicine products made from ants. People invested money in the company, purchasing and raising
boxes of ants with the promise that they could sell the ants back for a profit, before it was exposed as a
ponzi scheme in 2007. In February 2008, another man was sentenced to death in the same province of
China after defrauding investors of three billion yuan (US$417 million) in a similar ant-breeding
scheme.
Lou Pearlman
On June 27, 2007, former boy band mogul Lou Pearlman was indicted by a grand jury on several counts
of fraud and money laundering which for running a $500 million Ponzi scheme over 20 years; he
pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment. Pearlman died while still in custody at the
Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, Florida, on August 19, 2016 from cardiac arrest; he was 62
years old.
The Financial Crisis of
2007-2008
The financial crisis of 2007-2008, also known as the global financial crisis and the 2008 financial crisis,
is considered by many economists to have been the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of
the 1930s. It began in 2007 with a crisis in the subprime mortgage market in the USA, and developed
into a full-blown international banking crisis with the collapse of the investment bank Lehman Brothers
on September 15, 2008. Excessive risk taking by banks such as Lehman Brothers helped to magnify the
financial impact globally. Massive bail-outs of financial institutions and other palliative monetary and
fiscal policies were employed to prevent a possible collapse of the world's financial system. The crisis
was nonetheless followed by a global economic downturn, the Great Recession. The European debt
crisis, a crisis in the banking system of the European countries using the euro, followed later. The US
Senate's Levin-Coburn Report concluded that the crisis was the result of "high risk, complex financial
products; undisclosed conflicts of interest; the failure of regulators, the credit rating agencies, and the
market itself to rein in the excesses of Wall Street." There is a direct relationship between declines in
wealth and declines in consumption and business investment, which along with government spending,
represent the economic engine. Between June 2007 and November 2008, Americans lost an estimated
average of more than a quarter of their collective net worth. By early November 2008, a broad US stock
index the S&P 500, was down 45% from its 2007 high. Housing prices had dropped 20% from their
2006 peak, with futures markets signaling a 30-35% potential drop. Total home equity in the United
States, which was valued at $13 trillion at its peak in 2006, had dropped to $8.8 trillion by mid-2008 and
was still falling in late 2008. Total retirement assets, Americans' second-largest household asset, dropped
by 22%, from $10.3 trillion in 2006 to $8 trillion in mid-2008. During the same period, savings and
investment assets (apart from retirement savings) lost $1.2 trillion and pension assets lost $1.3 trillion.
Taken together, these losses total a staggering $8.3 trillion. Since peaking in the second quarter of 2007,
household wealth is down $14 trillion. Further, US homeowners had extracted significant equity in their
homes in the years leading up to the crisis, which they could no longer do once housing prices collapsed.
Free cash used by consumers from home equity extraction doubled from $627 billion in 200 1 to $1,428
billion in 2005 as the housing bubble built, a total of nearly $5 trillion over the period. US home
mortgage debt relative to GDP increased from an average of 46% during the 1990s to 73% during 2008,
reaching $10.5 trillion. On February 9, 2012, it was announced that the five largest mortgage servicers
(Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo) agreed to a historic settlement
with the federal government and 49 states. The settlement, known as the National Mortgage Settlement
(NMS), required the servicers to provide about $26 billion in relief to distressed homeowners and in
direct payments to the states and federal government. This settlement amount makes the NMS the
second largest civil settlement in U.S. history, only trailing the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.
The five banks were also required to comply with 305 new mortgage servicing standards. Oklahoma
held out and agreed to settle with the banks separately. During the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis,
Goldman was able to profit from the collapse in subprime mortgage bonds in the summer of 2007 by
short-selling subprime mortgage-backed securities. Two Goldman traders, Michael Swenson and Josh
Birnbaum, are credited with being responsible for the firm's large profits during the crisis. The pair,
members of Goldman's structured products group in New York, made a profit of $4 billion by "betting"
on a collapse in the sub-prime market, and shorting mortgage-related securities. By summer 2007, they
persuaded colleagues to see their point of view and convinced skeptical risk management executives.
The firm initially avoided large subprime writedowns, and achieved a net profit due to significant losses
on non-prime securitized loans being offset by gains on short mortgage positions. The firm's viability
was later called into question as the crisis intensified in September 2008. Gary D. Cohn who was
President and Co-Chief Operating Officer and director of Goldman Sachs at he time went on to become
the chief economic advisor to President Donald Trump and Director of the National Economic Council.
Washington Mutual Inc.
Washington Mutual, Inc., abbreviated to WaMu, was a savings bank holding company and the fonner
owner of Washington Mutual Bank, which was the United States' largest savings and loan association
until its collapse in 2008. All assets but only some liabilities (including deposits, covered bonds, and
other secured debt) of Washington Mutual Bank were assumed by JP Morgan Chase. Under the deal,
JP Morgan Chase acquired all the banking operations of WaMu, including $307 billion in assets and
$188 billion in deposits, for a price of $1.9 billion plus debt assumptions.
Tom Petters
On December 1, 2008, in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, celebrity businessman Tom Petters was charged by
the Federal government as the mastermind behind a $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme that bilked investors
over a 13-year period. Petters lived an extravagant lifestyle supported by his Ponzi scheme. Petters faced
20 counts of wire and mail fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering for the alleged investment scheme
that ran from 1995 through September 2008. He is expected to plead not guilty, but his co-conspirators
in the Ponzi scheme, Deanna Coleman, Robert White, Michael Catain, and Larry Reynolds, have all
pleaded guilty. The Petters Ponzi scheme came to an end when Petters' top co-conspirator Deanna
Coleman turned government informant and wore a wire. Petters and the others were planning to flee to
countries without extradition agreements with the U.S. Deanna Coleman and Michael Catain had
properties in Costa Rica. On December 2, 2009, Tom Petters was found guilty in the U.S. District Court
in St. Paul, Minnesota on 20 counts of wire and mail fraud. The US federal government is now seeking
forfeiture of all Petters' assets. He later was convicted for turning Petters Group Worldwide into a $3.65
billion Ponzi scheme and was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison. Reporters from the Minneapolis
Star Tribune stated that it is extremely unlikely that Petters will ever again live as a free citizen.
Stanford Ponzi Scheme
Robert Allen Stanford is an American former financier and sponsor of professional sports who is serving
a 110-year federal prison sentence, having been convicted of charges that his investment company was a
massive Ponzi scheme and fraud. Stanford was the chairman of the now defunct Stanford Financial
Group of Companies. A fifth-generation Texan who once resided in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, he
holds dual citizenship, being a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda and the United States. He contributed
millions of dollars to politicians in both Antigua and the United States amongst other countries.
In early 2009, Stanford became the subject of several fraud investigations, and on February 17, 2009,
was charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with fraud and multiple violations
of U.S. securities laws for alleged "massive ongoing fraud" involving $7 billion in certificates of
deposits. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided Stanford's offices in Houston, Texas;
Memphis, Tennessee; and Tupelo, Mississippi. On February 27, 2009, the SEC amended its complaint to
describe the alleged fraud as a "massive Ponzi scheme". He "voluntarily surrendered" to authorities on
June 18, 2009. On March 6, 2012, Stanford was convicted on all charges except a single count of wire
fraud. He is serving his 110-year sentence at United States Penitentiary, Coleman in Coleman, Florida.
In September 2014, Stanford appealed his conviction; however, the appeals court rejected the appeal in
October 2015.
Madoff Ponzi Scheme
Bernard Lawrence "Bernie" Madoff is an American fraudster and a former stockbroker, investment
advisor, and financier. He is the former non-executive chairman of the NASDAQ stock market, and the
admitted operator of a Ponzi scheme that is considered the largest financial fraud in U.S. history. He
employed at the firm his brother Peter, as senior managing director and chief compliance officer; Peter's
daughter Shana Madoff, as the firm's rules and compliance officer and attorney; and his sons Andrew
and Mark. Peter has since been sentenced to 10 years in prison and Mark committed suicide by hanging
exactly two years after his father's arrest. Andrew died of lymphoma on September 3, 2014. The Madoff
investment scandal defrauded thousands of investors of billions of dollars. Madoff said he began the
Ponzi scheme in the early 1990s. However, federal investigators believe the fraud began as early as the
mid-1980s and may have begun as far back as the 1970s. Those charged with recovering the missing
money believe the investment operation may never have been legitimate. The amount missing from
client accounts, including fabricated gains, was almost $65 billion. The Securities Investor Protection
Corporation (SIPC) trustee estimated actual losses to investors of $18 billion. On June 29, 2009, Madoff
was sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum allowed. Madoff s right-hand man and financial
chief, Frank DiPascali, pleaded guilty to 10 federal charges in 2009 and (like Friehling) testified for the
government at the trial of five former colleagues, all of whom were convicted. DiPascali faced a
sentence of up to 125 years, but he died of lung cancer in May 2015, before he could be sentenced. In
the fall of 2013, JPMorgan began talks with prosecutors and regulators regarding compliance with anti¬
money-laundering and know-your-customer banking regulations in connection with Madoff. On January
7, 2014, JPMorgan agreed to pay a total of $2.05 billion in fines and penalties to settle civil and criminal
charges related to its role in the Madoff scandal. The government filed a two-count criminal infonnation
charging JPMorgan with Bank Secrecy Act violations, but the charges will be dismissed within two
years provided that JPMorgan refonns its anti -money laundering procedures and cooperates with the
government in its investigation. The bank agreed to forfeit $1.7 billion. The lawsuit, which was filed on
behalf of shareholders against Chief Executive Jamie Dimon and other high-ranking JPMorgan
employees, used statements made by Bemie Madoff during interviews conducted while in prison in
Butner, North Carolina claiming that JPMorgan officials knew of the fraud. The lawsuit stated that,
"JPMorgan was uniquely positioned for 20 years to see Madoffs crimes and put a stop to them ... But
faced with the prospect of shutting down Madoffs account and losing lucrative profits, JPMorgan - at its
highest level - chose to turn a blind eye." JPMorgan also agreed to pay a $350 million fine to the Office
of the Comptroller of the Currency and settle the suit filed against it by Picard for $543 million.
Nicholas Cosmo
On January 26, 2009, Nicholas Cosmo, founder of Agape World, surrendered to federal authorities in
connection with a suspected $380 million Ponzi scheme. Previously convicted of fraud in 1999, Cosmo
surrendered at the Long Island Railroad train station in Hicksville, N.Y. and was sentenced to 50 years
imprisonment. In March 2009, a lawsuit was filed in New York against Bank of America, one of the
largest banks in the United States, that claimed that Bank of America "established, equipped and staffed"
a branch office in the headquarters of Mr. Cosmo's firm, Agape Merchant Advance. As a result, the
lawsuit contends that the bank knowingly "assisted, facilitated and furthered" Mr. Cosmo's fraudulent
scheme.
Dreier, LLP Ponzi Scheme
Marc Stuart Dreier is a fonner American lawyer who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2009
for committing investment fraud using a Ponzi scheme. He is scheduled to be released from FCI
Sandstone on October 26, 2026. On May 11, 2009, he pleaded guilty in the United States District Court
for the Southern District of New York to eight charges of fraud, which included one count of conspiracy
to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, one count of money laundering, one count of securities fraud,
and five counts of wire fraud in a scheme to sell $700 million in fictitious promissory notes. Civil
charges, filed in December 2008 by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, are pending.
Troy Wragg and Amanda
Knorr
On November 16, 2009, the SEC charged four individuals and two companies for perpetrating a Ponzi
scheme to defraud over 300 investors of $30 million. Pennsylvania-based Mantria Corporation, run by
executives Troy Wragg and Amanda Knorr, supposedly focused on green initiatives such as a "carbon
negative" housing community in Tennessee and an organic waste-derived "biochar" charcoal substitute
production plant. Between September 2007 through November 2009, Mantria Corporation raised funds
through Denver-based Speed of Wealth LLC, run by Wayde and Donna McKelvy. The SEC alleged that
Mantria and Speed of Wealth exaggerated the scope and success of Mantria's operations. Subsequent
charges estimate Mantria and Speed of Wealth raised $54 million, of which they paid $17.5 million to
investors, using investors' own funds to pay those returns.
Scott W. Rothstein
Scott W. Rothstein, a disbarred lawyer and the former managing shareholder, chairman, and chief
executive officer of the now-defunct Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm was accused of funding his
philanthropy, political contributions, law firm salaries, and an extravagant lifestyle with a massive $1.4
billion Ponzi scheme. Scott Rothstein turned himself in to federal authorities and was subsequently
arrested on charges related to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
Rothstein was denied bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin Rosenbaum, who ruled that due to his
ability to forge documents, he was considered a flight risk. Although his arraignment plea was not guilty,
Rothstein cooperated with the Government and reversed his plea to guilty of five federal crimes on
January 27, 2010. He was sentenced to 50 years, despite the prosecution asking for 40 years.
Nevin Shapiro
On September 15, 2010, Nevin Shapiro pleaded guilty to a 2005-2009 Ponzi scheme in a Newark, New
Jersey court. The scheme brought in approximately $880 million. Headquartered in Miami, the scheme
was based on an import/export grocery business but was diverting investments to attract new investors.
Among the items seized as a result of his plea were a $5 million Miami mansion and a yacht. He was
known as "Lil Luke" because of his relationship with the Miami Hurricanes football team. This was a
tribute to Luther Campbell, a famous fonner Hurricanes booster. On August 16, 2011, in a story broken
by Yahoo! Sports, Shapiro stated that his support of the team included cash, entertainment, prostitutes,
and gifts, all against NCAA mles.
Zeek Rewards
On August 17, 2012, the SEC filed a federal case against defendants Paul Burks and Zeek Rewards,
based out of North Carolina. Paul Burks ran the entity of Zeek Rewards, a fraudulent investment
opportunity that promised investors returns as high as 1 .5% per day by sharing in the profits of Zeekler,
a penny auction. Investors were encouraged to recruit new members to increase their returns. New
investors had to pay a monthly "subscription" of up to $99/month and an initial investment of up to
$10,000. The higher the initial investment, the higher the returns appeared. The Zeekler entity was an
online penny auction that served as a front for the Zeek Rewards entity. Investors in the Zeek Rewards
scheme were promised payouts from the profits made on Zeekler by recruiting new members and giving
out "bids" that customers would use on the penny auction. While the Zeekler website did bring in
revenue, it was only about 1% of what investors believed was being brought into the Zeek Rewards
company. The vast majority of dispersed funds were paid out from newly recruited investors. It is
believed that the Ponzi scheme was a $600,000,000 enterprise and the number of affected investors was
1,000,000 when the SEC filed suit. This made Zeek Rewards the largest ponzi scheme in history by
number of affected investors, even though numerous other ponzi schemes have had larger enterprise
values. Paul Burks paid $4M to the SEC and agreed to cooperate. It remains unknown how much, if any,
of the funds lost in the scheme will be returned to affected investors, as of August 2012.
2015-16 stock market
selloff
The Dow Jones fell 888 points during a two-day period, 1300 points from August 18-21. On Monday,
August 24, world stock markets were down substantially, wiping out all gains made in 2015, with
interlinked drops in commodities such as oil, which hit a six-year price low, copper, and most of Asian
currencies, but the Japanese yen, losing value against the United States dollar. With this plunge, an
estimated ten trillion dollars had been wiped off the books on global markets since June.
Aftennath of the United
Kingdom European Union
membership referendum,
2016
World Markets tumble after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Investors lost more
than the equivalent of 2 trillion United States dollars on 24 June 2016, making this day the worst single
day drop in history, in absolute terms, according to data from S&P Global. The losses were extended to a
combined total of the equivalent of 3 trillion dollars by additional selling on 27 June 2016 according to
data from S&P Global.
| SOURCE: Wikipedia (with some corrections, additions, and other edits) |
Where did all the money from these financial fiascos go, the trillions of dollars stolen from millions of hard¬
working victims who were sold lies? How many billions of dollars has been stolen by others who misled
investors in similar legal pyramid, get-rich-quick, or other Ponzi type schemes? Why do so few of those actually
responsible get prosecuted for their blatant criminal actions towards so many? Why do so many corporate
wrongdoers get massive multi-million-dollar payouts and severance packages when they commit unethical and
criminal acts, while also usually avoiding any prosecution by the law or receive an extremely light sentence for
their acts? How many of those responsible are still spending the money they stole? Why are corporations and the
corrupt individuals running them, which have a known history of fraud, allowed to simply pay a fine and/or
settle a lawsuit and then continue doing business as usual only to repeat a similar criminal action later? Why has
America had a continuous economic boom and bust history since 1 929? How can a few be allowed to so easily
rob nearly the whole society and get away with it? The PBS frontline reports: ‘Inside the Meltdown ’ February
17, 2009, ‘Ten Trillion and Counting’ March 24, 2009, 'Breaking the Bank ’ June 16, 2009, ‘Money, Power and
Wall Street’ April 24, 2012, ‘The Untouchables ’ January 22, 2013, and ‘Black Money ’ April 7, 2009 all focus on
the recent financial fiascos which were caused by corporate greed combined with lax oversight and regulations.
And Mark Archbar's 2003 documentary 'The Corporation' gives a detailed history of corporations.
These financial fiascos are constant reminders that the capitalist monetary system can be manipulated by the
greedy, and that it will always need strict government regulations and oversight, not less, if it is to ever be a
successful system. Between the financial crises and the rising global food prices it shows how easily
manipulated the monetary system is by the few while controlling the basic necessities in life of the majority.
Why are exorbitant profits allowed to be made on things which are vital to life and a functioning society like
medicine, food, water, shelter, electricity, Internet, waste removal, etc.? When coiporations begin charging so
much for the necessities in life, and Homo sapiens and the Earth itself is suffering as a result, shouldn’t the
government intervene to protect citizens and the environment? If corporations don’t want to offer these basic
services to citizens for a reasonable amount of money, then why can’t the government offer them instead as it
has in the past before it began outsourcing nearly everything to independent contractors, often times with little to
no oversight? How can food speculation be allowed in financial markets when it could cause price swings in
staple foods like wheat, maize, and soy? How much better would the world function without a focus on money
and profits? Couldn’t all consumers have the same products and quality services which are only available to the
few? The same quality housing? Is this Utopian future even remotely possible? Perhaps it would look something
like a science-fiction movie, all the Homo sapiens are dressed nearly identical, they live in nearly identical
skyscrapers, food, medicine, and shelter are freely available to all Homo sapiens, with almost all tasks being
automated and done by robots allowing Homo sapiens to devote their work hours towards fields they have a
talent or interest in, and they are motivated by knowledge and discovery, not money and profit. Perhaps Homo
sapiens will revert back to a barter system which is prevalent in many traditional societies even today and has
found renewed use on the Internet. What would happen if consumers stopped consuming as much, would the
world economy collapse or just shrink? Would the world just have a surplus of products like many Western
countries have now? What would happen if businesses simply broke even, instead of making exorbitant profits
from marking up the cost of commodities and other goods that only cost a small fraction of the profits to
manufacture? Why can't a business break even and make no profit, every employee being paid a good salary
based on performance, and not a pay scale based on irrelevant education, seniority, gender, or other favoritism?
Warmongers
Society has experienced peace and war transitioning from one to the other throughout the history of civilization,
and in nearly every society during one time or another there have always been warmongers who cause this
instability in their attempts to suppress, manipulate, and rule the world. Until the establishment of true
democracy in modem times, the entire history of major large civilizations has been mainly based on aristocracy,
monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, communism, or fascism type system of rule, be it the Mayan, Aztec, Asian,
Egyptian, Greek, Hun, Roman, USSR, Nazi, or other. And no matter the title be it an emperor, czar, king,
dictator, sultan, or puppet government, the few and powerful with the largest military have always attempted to
rule the world by sovereign means, many of them while under the delusion of being in power as an instrument of
God. And as history has shown they have done nothing but destroy the civilized world with their actions,
ultimately hindering the progress of Homo sapiens as a whole, because to a despot human life is cheap. War
never stops if madmen have power and are in control, it only pauses to wait for new victims. Stop giving the
madmen power and the tools with which to wage war, and wars will end. Albert Einstein made the following
remarks about war,
“For force always attracts men of low morality, and I believe it to be an invariable rule that tyrants of genius are succeeded by
scoundrels.”
“This topic brings me to that worst outcrop of herd life, the military system, which I abhor. That a man can take pleasure in
marching in fours to the strains of a band is enough to make me despise him. He has only been given his big brain by mistake;
unprotected spinal marrow was all he needed. This plaguespot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible speed.
Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism-how
passionately I hate them! How vile and despicable seems war to me! I would rather be hacked in pieces than take part in such
an abominable business. My opinion of the human race is high enough that I believe this bogey would have disappeared long
ago, had the sound sense of the peoples not been systematically corrupted by commercial and political interests acting through
the schools and the Press.” (52)
"In two weeks the sheep like masses of any country can be worked up by the newspapers into such a state of excited fury that
men are prepared to put on unifonns and kill and be killed, for the sake of the sordid ends of a few interested parties.
Compulsory military service seems to me the most disgraceful symptom of that deficiency in personal dignity from which
civilized mankind is suffering today.” (56)
"One has to realize that the powerful industrial groups concerned in the manufacture of arms are doing their best in all
countries to prevent the peaceful settlement of international disputes, and that rulers can only achieve this great end if they are
sure of the vigorous support of the majority of their people."
"The armament industry is indeed one of the greatest dangers that beset mankind. It is the hidden evil power behind the
nationalism which is rampant everywhere..."
"And those who have an interest in keeping the machinery of war going are a very powerful body; they will stop at nothing to
make public opinion subservient to their murderous ends.” (62)
Homo sapiens have had a history of either wanting to assimilate, change, or obliterate things it does not frilly
understand. Based on 2010 data from the Political Instability Task Force, there have been at least 43 genocides
since 1956 which resulted in the deaths of at least 50,000,000 Homo sapiens. One can still see the scars left
behind by the meaningless conquests of the few greedy tyrants for power over the world which would never
fully submit. How many millions of ignorant Homo sapiens were led to their deaths having followed war
mongering idiots who convinced them to fight for a futile senseless cause, be it a pseudo religion, political
views, hate, greed, revenge, or other worthless purpose? Why do the modern-day politicians and military leaders
who declare war never actually fight during the war, they only lead others to their death? How could a war be
fought if everyone refused to fight and no one took part in any battles? What does it say when a government
must enact a policy of conscription in order to obtain soldiers to wage its war? Each day 1 8 to 22 American
veterans commit suicide, what does this say about the mental consequences of war on the soldiers who fight in
these wars? (182)
One could argue that Americans have always had a military mentality from the conquering and assimilation of
the indigenous, to the controversial claims made on the western states with Mexico. But the true modern-day
American military mentality came as a result of World War 11, and it has persisted and grown even more
powerful over time into the Korean, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars, while continually being justified as an
act done to preserve America’s freedom, and labeling it a ‘a cold war’, ‘ the war against communism or ‘the
war on terrorism Albert Einstein described the American military mentality in saying,
"The tendencies we have mentioned are something new for America. They arose when, under the influence of the two World
Wars and the consequent concentration of all forces on a military goal, a predominantly military mentality developed, which
with the almost sudden victory became even more accentuated. The characteristic feature of this mentality is that people place
the importance of what Bertrand Russell so tellingly terms "naked power" far above all other factors which affect the relations
between peoples. The Germans, misled by Bismarck's successes in particular, underwent just such a transformation of their
mentality-in consequence of which they were entirely ruined in less than a hundred years."
“Instead, the military mentality raises "naked power" as a goal in itself one of the strangest illusions to which men can
succumb.” (63)
2017 United States Military Spending Compared with other Agencies
Dept, of Defense and Dept of Veterans Affairs
$302,622,745,563
Dept, of Agriculture
$37,255,552,970
Dept, of Education
$60,762,568,254
Dept, of Housing and Urban Development
$34,018,548,449
Dept, of Energy
$23,477,536,922
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
$14,641,116,354
U.S. Agency for International Development
$9,842,873,524
Department of Labor
$7,737,949,101
Dept, of the Interior
$5,196,135,916
National Science Foundation
$3,208,405,889
Environmental Protection Agency
$1,557,851,075
Millennium Challenge Corporation
$768,570,743
National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities
$518,981,004
Smithsonian Institution
$140,373,370
SOURCE: www.USAsnendina.gov
In 2016, the total world military expenditures were $1,686,000,000,000 with the top 5 countries spending 2/3 of
the total, and the United States alone spending 1/3 of the total at $611,000,000,000. The remaining 4 countries
were: China $215,000,000,000 - Russia $69,200,000,000 - Saudi Arabia $63,700,000,000 - and India
$55,900,000,000. (432) Would it not be more logical to spend this money on education, environmental protection,
science, and humanitarian assistance instead of war, destruction, and excessive unnecessary preparedness? If the
United States spent even half of what it does for defense and war on international development and humanitarian
assistance instead, would it not be viewed as more of a compassionate nation instead of a warmongering and
destructive one who polices the world? Martin Luther King Jr. wrote,
“One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that
goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. How much longer must we play at deadly war games before we
heed the plaintive please of the unnumbered dead and maimed of past wars?. ..Wisdom bom out of experience should tell us
that war is obsolete.”
“Therefore I suggest that the philosophy and strategy of nonviolence become immediately a subject for study and for serious
experimentation in every field of human conflict, by no means excluding the relations between nations. It is, after all, nation¬
states which make war, which have produced the weapons that threaten the survival of mankind and which are both genocidal
and suicidal in character.”
“It is not enough to say, “We must not wage war.” It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not
merely on the eradication of war but on the affirmation of peace.” (230)
From Ahimsa to Martin Luther King Jr., the anti-war and anti-violence message has existed for thousands of
years, but it is perhaps more prevalent and popular now than at any other point during history. And while wars
and violent conflicts are fewer than in centuries past, the many antiwar and protest songs that Phil Ochs wrote
and sang 50 years ago are still very relevant today, along with similar antiwar messages reiterated in other songs
like: John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, The Plastic Ono Band's 'Give Peace a Chance', Edwin Star’s ‘War’, Rage
Against the Machine's 'Bulls on Parade', 'Zombie' by: The Cranberries, Paul McCartney's 'Pipes of Peace', Black
Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’, Marvin Gaye's 'What’s Going On', Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War', Metallica’s ‘One’, Pink
Floyd's 'The Dogs of War1, several songs by The Clash, Bob Marley's 'No More Trouble', Peace Train ' by: Cat
Stevens, and a few hundred others. There are numerous antiwar literary works from early Greek works like
Aristophanes's comedy 'Lysistrata', to Emery Reves's 1945 book 'The Anatomy of Peace' and Smedley Butler's
1935 war profiteering expose 'War is a Racket’. There are even thousands of movies and other media promoting
peace and love, but it is too often overshadowed by the overwhelming amount of media which encourages war
and violence. War is promoted, glamorized, and glorified in movies, games, and other entertainment, children’s
toys represent the tools of war while children are encouraged from an early age to accept war as just another part
of life and something to have fun with. Entertainment and even the mainstream news media very rarely, if at all,
show the actual reality or the consequences of war, the dead bodies, injured civilians, the chaos, and destruction.
Instead war is often shown as a glamorous explosion or a bloody fight in which no one is injured, and everything
is alright in the end, and if someone does die it is usually the bad guy who deserved it or the hero who died
trying to save the world, and to whom everyone should now look up to and try to be more like. The mainstream
news media too often shows the acts of war from afar on a point of view camera attached to the bomb itself or
from a camera attached to the aircraft dropping the bomb, but rarely if ever is the real aftermath shown up close
and in detail. The United States Armed Forces award various medals, service ribbons, and badges for a wide
range of things, but it is in effect an award system based in part on violence, destruction, and death. Yearly
holidays remind the world of the past wars, and war is memorialized with monuments and in museums showing
the tools of war as amazing, awe-inspiring, and something to be cherished. Why are there so many monuments
memorializing war, violence, and destruction while so few are dedicated to peace, non-violence, and love? Ina
Corrine Brown wrote,
“We award metals to the men who are most successful in killing enemies in wartime and we honor the dead who lose their
own lives in an effort to take the lives of their adversaries. Thus in one set of circumstances, the man who takes a life is a
criminal but in a different set of circumstances he is a hero. There are many peoples in the world to whom these particular
distinctions are utterly meaningless. Some Eskimos, who readily justified one man's killing another in a quarrel and who
considered it a duty to end the lives of one's aged and infirm parents, found it impossible to conceive of wars between villages
and tribes. When a European tried to explain to a Melanesian cannibal the large number of causalities in World War I, the
cannibal was completely bewildered to learn that the annies fought to kill but that neither side ate the victims-to him, it was
both immoral and stupidly wasteful to kill more people than you could or would eat.” (25)
It isn't considered a war crime when a civilian is killed as a result of war, it is considered by those waging the
war as just collateral damage. Incidents like the infamous ‘2007 Collateral Murder’ are considered by the
military to be nothing more than accidental mistakes of war and just an inevitable part of war, while justice is
never served in incidents like the ‘Mai Lai Massacre ’. Since recorded history, an estimated 3 15,232,919 to
754,733,827 Homo sapiens have died as a result of all the wars ever fought. (130) UNICEF reports that tens of
thousands of children are recruited and used as soldiers in armed conflicts around the world, some of them as
young as 8 years old. (265) How many millions of children through either brainwashing or use of force, have
fought and died in all the wars over the last 5,000 years? Wars are now fought on a much smaller scale than in
the past which involved military supeipowers marching millions of soldiers to their deaths. Today’s military uses
technological weapons to kill their enemies in silence from afar without any warning, and like all weapons of
war do, with no regard if the final target also includes innocent civilians. Since World War II, most military
conflicts have been called ‘police actions ’, and with no formal declaration of war proxy wars have also become
far more common and are sometimes fought for decades. These new wars are funded by world supeipowers
which use other nations like the chessboard in which to play their deadly and destructive game of war. Between
1991 and 2017 the United States and British military forces launched 2,217 Tomahawk cruise missiles, all
without warning and with little regard for innocent civilians.
By operating more than 100 black site prisons in 28 countries since the War on Terror began in 2001, the United
States has circumvented the Geneva Conventions of 1949, War Crimes Act of 1996, the 1984 UN Convention
against Torture, and other international laws regarding torture and how prisoners of war are treated. The Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and various divisions of the U.S. Armed
Forces engaged in a program of systematic torture called ‘Enhanced Interrogation Techniques ’. Methods of
interrogation included: beating, binding in contorted stress positions, hooding, subjection to deafening noise,
sleep deprivation to the point of hallucination, deprivation of food and drink, withholding medical care for
wounds, waterboarding, walling, sexual humiliation, subjection to extreme heat or extreme cold, confinement in
small coffin-like boxes, and repeated slapping. In 2010, it was estimated there were 26,000 prisoners being held
at black site prisons, with most of the terrorist, or enemy combatants as they are labeled, being detained
indefinitely without due process. Since 2002, Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp has served as a primary
detention facility, or military prison, where prisoners of the War on Terror have been severely tortured while a
world is forced to watch from afar. The Obama administration reduced the number of inmates at Guantanamo
Bay to 41 as of January 2017, but the prison still remains in operation. (359) How has a prison and torture facility
with no regard for human rights been allowed to operate for so long, especially after so many known human
rights violations and incidents of torture have occurred?
After World War II, the United States launched ‘Operation Paperclip ’ to gain a military advantage by recruiting
and bringing more than 1 ,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians, many of which were former
registered members of the Nazi Party, some of which also had leadership roles in the Nazi Party. Similarly,
Russia launched ‘Operation Osoaviakhim ’ recruiting more than 2,000 German specialists. How could so many
war criminals be simply ignored and allowed to escape justice? Was the knowledge really worth the price of
letting known war criminals go free and having a prosperous life in the United States?
The 2003 Iraq war was unjustified and based on lies. How can a United States president and his administration
lie to the world about a country possessing chemical weapons and being a threat, invade that country, and then
admit that it was all based on bad intelligence? Why have none of these officials who are responsible ever been
charged with war crimes? The October 2003 PBS Frontline program, ‘Truth, War, and Consequences ’ explains
exactly how the Bush administration pulled off one of the greatest lies ever told to Americans with no
consequences whatsoever. There are also two documentaries by Errol Morris, ‘The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons
from the Life of Robert S. McNamara ’, 2003 and ‘The Unknown Known ’,2013 which offer a rare glimpse inside
the minds of former United States Defense secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert S. McNamara. Another
excellent perspective on war is the 2017 documentary ‘The Vietnam War ’by: Ken Bums and Lynn Novick.
| List of Recent Major Military Conflicts Involving the United States j
War/Conflict
Estimated Total Tons of Bombs Dropped
World War II
3,500,000 tons
Korean War
635,000 tons
Vietnam War
7,662,000 tons
1991 Iraq War
88,500 tons
2001 -present War on Terror Afghanistan
No official statistics. But the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BOIJ) estimates
1,542 drone strikes from 2015 - early 2017 with between 2,538 - 3270 casualties.
(243)
2002-present War on Terror Yemen
No official statistics. But BOIJ estimates 146 drone strikes from 2002 - early 2017
with between 603 - 873 casualties. (243)
2003-2011 Iraq War
No official or estimated statistics on the number of bombs dropped or the total
tons of bombs dropped, but Seymour Hersh of the New Yorker stated, “Oh, my
God, it's the total X factor. There's been no public discussion by this
administration of airpower in terms of how many missions, how much tonnage.
During the Vietnam War— I'm long of tooth, and I remember that— we used to get a
daily account of how many sorties— That's one flight, by one bomber— how many
sorties, how much tonnage, and one could get a sense of what— how— where— the
air war was very intense then. And here only you get anecdotal stuff. The one
statistic we found is really quite amazing. A Marine Air Wing, which is
responsible for close air support of the Marines in the field, reported that between
fall of '03 and late fall of '04, about 15 months, it expended 500,000 tons of
ordnance, and that is two million, 500-pound bombs— two million, 500-pound
bombs— one Marine Air Wing. We have many more Air Wings that are being flown
by the Air Force and by the Navy.” (128)
2004-present War on Terror Northwest Pakistan
No official statistics but BOIJ estimates 425 drone strikes from 2004 - early 2017
with between 2,501 - 4,003 casualties. It should also be noted that under George
Bush there were 5 1 drone strikes compared with 373 drone strikes under Barack
Obama, a 631% increase. (243)
20 1 1 -present Syrian Civil War AKA War on ISIS
No official or estimated statistics but the US has fired off more than 20,000
missiles and bombs and General Mark Welsh stated they were, “expending
munitions faster than we can replenish them. . . B- 1 s have dropped bombs in record
numbers.” (129) A November 16, 2017 New York Times article stated that the
coalition has conducted more than 27,500 air strikes to date in Iraq and Syria
against ISIS, with a variety of air power from Predator drones to B-52s. (596)
2011 -present War on Terror Somalia
No official statistics. But BOIJ estimates 32 drone strikes from 201 1 - early 2017
with between 242 - 418 casualties. (243)
TOTAL: 11,885,500 tons ofbombs or 2,377,100 Elephants
SOURCE: Wikipedia (with some corrections, additions, and other edits) NOTE: Elephant comparison is based on a 5-ton average
weight.
Less than 20 nations, mainly the United States, Russia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, India, China, Japan, Germany,
North Korea, and United Kingdom have either developed and tested, stockpiled, sold, or used chemical and/ or
biological weapons. Chemical weapons over the last 105 years have killed, injured, or permanently disabled
millions of Homo sapiens. The United States military alone dropped about 388,000 tons of napalm bombs in
Indochina between 1963 and 1973, during the Korean War 32,357 tons, and 16,500 tons on Japan during World
War II. (576) After World War II the United States, United Kingdom, and Russia disposed of many chemical
weapons by dumping them in the ocean, an estimated 1,000,000 metric tons of chemical weapons still lie on the
ocean floor. (25 1 ) How can chemical weapons like tear gas still be used by local law enforcement for riot control,
and yet these lachrymatory agents are prohibited during wartime by international treaties for chemical weapons?
In 2017, there were an estimated 1 10,000,000 million landmines which were left from previous wars and
conflicts in Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, Angola, China, Vietnam, Iraq, Cambodia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and
Kuwait. Since 1975 more than 1,000,000 Homo sapiens have died and millions of other have been maimed as a
result of these mines exploding without warning, and every month an estimated 800 more die and hundreds of
others are maimed. (264) In the United States and at overseas U.S. facilities, there are 1,400 locations covering
10,000,000 acres which contain unexploded munitions dating back to World War I. (263) Thousands of
unexploded munitions are also discovered each year during construction projects worldwide, but more especially
in Europe as a result of the munitions dropped during World War II. How many thousands of bombs and other
similar unexploded munitions are there left waiting to be discovered and possibly explode killing or maiming
even more Homo sapiens ? How many unexploded munitions lie at the bottom of the Ocean with old Navy ships
sunk during wartime?
An often-overlooked consequence of war is the affect it has on the Earth’s landscapes and also the large number
of florae and faunae which are destroyed by using scorched-Earth tactics, from the bombs being dropped, the
tanks and other vehicles traveling through ecosystems, and even the thousands of troops marching to their
deaths. Direct and intentional environmental destruction has also been used as a war tactic. Agent Orange was
used by the British military in Malaya during the Malayan Emergency and by the United States during the
Vietnam War to deforest large areas. Military training exercises and weapons testing can also be destructive to
the environment, sometimes more so than actual war as an area of nature is constantly being impacted. The
environmental effects of the military and war are an issue which has received little attention, as the subjects are
surrounded by much secrecy, few regulations, and no real accountability. From the early wars fought on horses
to modern-day wars fought with technology, there has always been destruction to nature resulting from the chaos
of war.
As of 2017, there are still dozens of abandoned military bases around the world, most of which have left a toxic
legacy like Bluie East Two and Camp Century in Greenland. (176) This easily preventable environmental
destruction is a result of the United States military having left all the trash and other waste which accumulated
during operations. Camp Century is one of the worst. It was part of project leeworm, an elaborate secret military
plan to build an underground military complex in Greenland covering an area of 52,000 square miles to house
600 nuclear missiles. The project eventually failed, and Camp Century was abandoned along with the biological,
chemical, and radioactive waste based on the assumption that peipetual snowfall would bury the waste forever.
Global warming and the melting of the ice sheets is now threatening to expose the toxic waste. Depleted uranium
has been used to manufacture some ammunition since the first Gulf War, 1 ,200 tonnes of depleted uranium was
dropped on Iraq between 1991 and 2003, and an enormous amount of depleted uranium has no doubt also been
used during the Afghanistan War as well. A 20 1 3 study concluded that,
“Iraq is suffering from depleted uranium (DU) pollution in many regions and the effects of this may hann public health
through poisoning and increased incidence of various cancers and birth defects. DU is a known carcinogenic agent. About
1200 tonnes of ammunition were dropped on Iraq during the Gulf Wars of 1991 and 2003. As a result, contamination occurred
in more than 350 sites in Iraq. Currently, Iraqis are facing about 140,000 cases of cancer, with 7000 to 8000 new ones
registered each year. In Baghdad cancer incidences per 100,000 population have increased, just as they have also increased in
Basra. The overall incidence of breast and lung cancer. Leukaemia and Lymphoma, has doubled even tripled. The situation in
Mosul city is similar to other regions. Before the Gulf Wars Mosul had a higher rate of cancer, but the rate of cancer has
further increased since the Gulf Wars.” (177)
During the first Gulf War in 1991, the Iraqi military forces engaged in a scorched Earth policy and started the
Kuwait oil fires and the Gulf War oil spill releasing an estimated 42,000,000,000 to 63,000,000,000 gallons of
oil into the environment. During World War 11 allied forces conducted 623 air raids on Nazi Germany oil
refineries and storage facilities in what is known as the ‘Oil Campaign of World War II How many millions of
gallons of oil burned during these targeted air raids? During the last 5,000 years, how many millions of florae
and faunae have perished as a result of all the wars, military exercises, and other clandestine operations? What if
the military forces of the world took all their money and resources for war, and instead of destroying the planet
they became an environmental protection force? Could not the great world military powers of the U.S., China,
Russia, U.K, France, India, Pakistan, Korea, Australia, and others unite to help combat global environmental
threats instead of preparing to fight each other? What about an international Navy to patrol and protect the
oceans and other hydrosphere resources from Homo sapiens depredations?
SOURCE: National Museum of the US Air Force - Images taken during World War II while conducting ‘Operation Tidal Wave a
strategic bombing mission and part of the ‘oil campaign ’ to deny petroleum-based fuel to the Axis.
SOURCE: U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force - Although the weapons have become more advanced, these photos of United States war planes
flying over burning oil fields in Kuwait during the Gulf War are an eerie reminder of a not too distant past.
The environmental impacts of war and terrorism can be felt long after the actual battle or attack has taken place.
As a result of the September 1 1 terrorist attacks, there are still the lingering health issues which currently affect
37,000 Homo sapiens and have killed more than 1,000. These rescue workers and others who were at ground
zero now have a wide range of health issues resulting from the inhalation and skin exposure to the toxic ash and
dust. They were even assured by Christine Todd Whitman, the then head of the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), that the air was safe. She has since said she was mistaken. (218)
Based on data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), in 2017 the militaries of the world
consisted of: 104,476 main battle tanks, 29,730 military aircraft and attack helicopters, 511 nuclear and non¬
nuclear submarines, and 976 other water vessels (aircraft carriers, amphibious warfare ships, cruisers, destroyers,
frigates, corvettes, etc.) How much environmental damage do all of these weapons of war unleash each day just
preparing and waiting for war? A 2014 Guardian news report on the impact of modem war by Karl Mathiesen
stated,
“The US Department of Defence is the country’s largest consumer of fossil fuels. Research from 2007 showed the military
used 20.9bn litres of fuel each year. This results in similar CO2 emissions to a mid-sized European country such as Denmark.
And that’s before they go to war. The carbon footprint of a deployed modern army is typically enormous. One report
suggested the US military, with its tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, used 190.8m litres of oil every month during the
invasion of Iraq. An estimated two thirds of this fuel is used delivering more fuel to the vehicles at the battlefront.”
’During the Rwandan civil war almost three-quarters of a million people lived in camps on the edge of Virunga national park.
According to the Worldwatch Institute around 1,000 tonnes of wood was removed from the park every day for two years in
order to build shelters, feed cooking fires and created charcoal for sale. By the time the conflict ended 105 sq km of forest
had been damaged and 35 sq km stripped bare. “
“Ian Redmond, a wildlife consultant for Born Free says in the disorder and desperation of war the protections for precious
wildlife habitats like Virunga evaporate. “War is bad for wildlife in as many ways as for people. Conservation suffers because
rangers often have to flee the fighting, and may be attacked because rebel annies covet their vehicles, radios and guns.
Moreover, rebels often feed their troops on bushmeat and finance their ops with ivory, timber, charcoal and minerals from
protected areas.” The massive influx of high-powered weaponry into these areas means that during and after conflict, the
scale of poaching can increase dramatically. In just two months in 2006, Mai-Mai rebels in the DRC slaughtered almost the
entire hippopotamus population of two of Virunga’s rivers - changing the ecosystem forever.
In Afghanistan too, wildlife and habitats have disappeared. The past 30 years of war has stripped the country of its trees,
including precious native pistachio woodlands. The Costs of War Project says illegal logging by US-backed warlords and
wood harvesting by refugees caused more than one-third of Afghanistan’s forests to vanish between 1990 and 2007. Drought,
desertification and species loss have resulted. The number of migratory birds passing through Afghanistan has fallen by 85%.
Many of the above examples could be considered violations of international law. The Geneva Convention places restrictions
on methods of warfare “which are intended, or may be expected, to cause widespread, long-tenn and severe damage to the
natural environment”. But Marie Jacobsson, a special rapporteur to the UN’s International Law Commission charged with
assessing how legal frameworks can protect the environment from anned conflict, says the international legal protections are
“rudimentary”.” (178)
The United States has spent more than $4,400,000,000,000 and counting, on wars in the Middle East since the
September 1 1 terrorist attacks, and the War on Terror is far from over with a constant cycle of new extremist
leaders taking the place of their dead predecessors as soon as they are killed. Terrorism and other forms of
tyranny will most likely continue in small pockets around the globe for some time, so long as violence is used as
the main solution to combat these negative elements of society versus peace, intellect, patience, understanding,
and compromise. The tyrants who wage wars have always existed throughout history, but they have all fallen and
never outlasted time or the power of social change through democracy. War and violence are never the answer no
matter the circumstances and there will never be a valid justification for war, as there is always a peaceful
alternative. War itself has been obsolete since its inception, as nothing negative will ever be successful in the
end. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the following remarks about violence,
“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of
diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the
truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence for violence multiplies
violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot dive out darkness: only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
The beauty of nonviolence is that in its own way and in its own time it seeks to break the chain reaction of evil. With a
majestic sense of spiritual power, it seeks to elevate truth, beauty and goodness to the throne.”
"Hate is just as injurious to the hater as it is to the hated. Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats
away its vial unity. Many of our inner conflicts are rooted in hate. This is why the psychiatrist says, “Love or perish.” ... Hate
is too great a burden to bear.
Of course, you may say, this is not practical ; life is a matter of getting even, of hitting back, of dog eat dog. Maybe in some
distant Utopia, you say, that idea will work, but not in the hard, cold world in which we live. My only answer is that mankind
has followed the so-called practical way for a long time now, and it has led inexorably to deeper confusion and chaos. Time is
cluttered with the wreckage of individuals and communities that surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our
nation and salvation of mankind, we must follow another way.”
“Violence has been the inseparable twin of materialism, the hallmark of its grandeur and misery. This is the one thing about
modem civilization that I do not care to imitate.
Humanity is waiting for something other than blind imitation of the past. If we want truly to advance a step further, if we
want to turn over a new leaf and really set a new man afoot, we must begin to turn mankind away from the long and desolate
night of violence.” (313)
An Incarcerated and Policed Society Living with Unwarranted Fear
In 2015, Amnesty International confirmed at least 1,634 executions, 573 more than in 2014 and the most carried
out since 1989. These numbers exclude data from Belarus, China, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, North Korea, Syria
and Yemen where it remains unavailable, incomplete, or is classified. (388) Capital punishment in the United
States is performed by some states, even though it contradicts the Eighth Amendment of the United States
Constitution prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment. Is it not cruel and unusual to take the life of anyone in
any form, under any circumstance be it murder, war, or vengeance? Isn’t execution nothing more than
vengeance? Does it serve any real purpose, or does it only perpetuate the negative cycle of violence? Does
execution deter a possible future murderer or does simply instilling better morals from an early age? Is the
morality of society any better than the criminals committing the crime when the punishment is the same action as
the crime, in that of taking a life? If killing is illegal how can it be justifiable to kill the killer? Would not the
moral and logical choice of rehabilitation through education and incarceration, if necessary, be the way to
address the issue? What is the point of executing a small number of criminals while thousands of others remain
incarcerated for life? It costs a tremendous amount of money for a state to engage in capital punishment. In 20 1 1 ,
the L.A. Times reported that in California alone,
“Taxpayers have spent more than $4 billion on capital punishment in California since it was reinstated in 1978, or about $308
million for each of the 13 executions carried out since then, according to a comprehensive analysis of the death penalty's
costs.
The state's 714 death row prisoners cost $184 million more per year than those sentenced to life in prison without the
possibility of parole.” (164)
Prisons vary around the world from supermax prisons in the United States to the El penal de San Pedro in La
Paz, Bolivia which holds more than 1,500 inmates with no guards inside the prison and is run by the prisoners
themselves, and some wives and children of convicted criminals also living inside the prison walls. The current
system of mass incarceration, if replaced with rehabilitation and education like Bastoy Prison in Norway, could
benefit the incarcerated far more than the current system of justice practiced almost universally, which is the
mentality of ‘Lock them up and throw away the key. ’ This approach has shown to be ineffective, as many of the
incarcerated are either drug addicts, have mental issues, and/or are individuals which lacked proper morals being
instilled at an early age and are nothing more than a product of a dysfunctional society or a result of the
inhospitable environment which they were fostered in. They simply need to be educated and shown how, through
example, to become positive members of society. Worldwide there are an estimated 10,357,134 Homo sapiens
which are held in prisons, either as pre-trial detainees or those who have been convicted and sentenced. The
United states incarcerates the most with 2,217,000 prisoners, an increase from 1,937,482 prisoners in 2000. The
world prison population has increased by 19.5% since about 2000. (501) Why has the prison population
increased, is it from an increase in excessive policing, stricter laws, or from moral erosion within the society?
Shouldn’t the world prison population be decreasing as the world today is more modem and educated than at any
point in history? How is it possible that there are so many prisoners in the United States, a free and democratic
nation with such a just system of laws? Are there too many antiquated or irrelevant laws which incarcerate
individuals for unjust crimes like smoking cannabis? How many incarcerations are alcohol related?
Many prisons in the United States are not only extremely unhealthy for the incarcerated, but also severely
depredate the environment around them. A June 2017 Moyers and Company report, ‘America ’s Toxic Prisons:
The Environmental Injustices of Mass Incarceration ’, reported that over the last decade 3,500 California
prisoners have contracted valley fever with more than 50 dying from it. In Texas state officials acknowledged
that 22 hyperthermia deaths occurred, and yet 79 of the 108 state prison units still lacked air-conditioning as of
2017. At SCI Fayette prison, in LaBelle, Pennsylvania, prisoners reported the water always had a brown tint to it,
and at the Wallace Pack Unit in Texas the water was also brown, until a federal judge ordered the state to provide
the prisoners with safe drinking water. As of 2017, there were 589 federal and state prisons which are located
within 3 miles of a toxic Superfund cleanup site. Over the past 5 years there were prisons in around 30 states
which had more than 1,000 violations of federal environmental laws. The California Men’s Colony state prison
(CMC), near San Luis Obispo, has had a legacy of water pollution from dumping more than 240,000 gallons of
sewage into Chorro Creek which flows into the protected marine estuary Morro Bay. Between 2008 and 2015 the
Monroe Correctional Complex in Washington dumped around 500,000 gallons of contaminated water polluting
nearby rivers and wetlands. Federal and state agencies over the last 5 years, utilizing the Clean Water Act, have
brought 132 informal actions and 28 formal actions against prisons. During this same time, the EPA under the
Clean Air Act, has brought 92 informal actions and 5 1 formal actions against prisons, jails, and detention centers.
(540)
There are undoubtedly thousands of wrongly convicted Homo sapiens that have been victims of an inadequate
justice system which has the potential to make errors and become corrupt from within. Lack of professionalism,
training, and standards have also led to easily preventable wrongful convictions, and in some cases even death.
In 2015, the FBI issued a press release which stated,
"The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Innocence Project, and the
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) reported today that the FBI has concluded that the examiners’
testimony in at least 90 percent of trial transcripts the Bureau analyzed as part of its Microscopic Hair Comparison Analysis
Review contained erroneous statements. Twenty-six of 28 FBI agent/analysts provided either testimony with erroneous
statements or submitted laboratory reports with erroneous statements...
...The review encompasses cases where FBI microscopic hair comparison was used to link a defendant to a crime and covers
cases in both federal and state court systems. It does not, however, cover cases where hair comparison was conducted by state
and local crime labs, whose examiners may have been trained by the FBI. The FBI has trained hundreds of state hair
examiners in annual two-week training courses.
The government identified nearly 3,000 cases in which FBI examiners may have submitted reports or testified in trials using
microscopic hair analysis. As of March 2015, the FBI had reviewed approximately 500 cases. The majority of these cases
were trials and the transcript of examiner testimony was reviewed. Some of these cases ended in guilty pleas, limiting the
review to the original lab report. In the 268 cases where examiners provided testimony used to inculpate a defendant at trial,
erroneous statements were made in 257 (96 percent) of the cases. Defendants in at least 35 of these cases received the death
penalty and errors were identified in 33 (94 percent) of those cases. Nine of these defendants have already been executed and
five died of other causes while on death row. The states with capital cases included Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana,
Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. It should be noted that this is an ongoing process and that
the numbers referenced above will change." (549)
DNA has been used to exonerate more than 220 wrongfully convicted Homo sapiens since 1989. Forensics is
used now more than ever, and while forensics can be a potentially good addition to the justice system, it has been
shown that it is sometimes performed by unqualified individuals who have no education, training, or experience,
are not experts in any field of science, and often use confusing or misleading language to cover-up the fact that
the evidence is not 100% certain and could potentially be flawed. A 20 16 recommendation by The National
Commission on Forensic Science to the Attorney General stated,
"Forensic discipline conclusions are often testified to as being held “to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty” or “to a
reasonable degree of [discipline] certainty.” These terms have no scientific meaning and may mislead factfinders about the
level of objectivity involved in the analysis, its scientific reliability and limitations, and the ability of the analysis to reach an
individualized conclusion. Forensic scientists, medical professionals and other scientists do not routinely express opinions or
conclusions “to a reasonable scientific certainty” outside of the courts. Neither the Daubertn or Frye test of scientific
admissibility requires its use, and consideration of caselaw from around the country confirms that use of the phrase is not
required by law and is primarily a relic of custom and practice. There are additional problems with this phrase, including:
There is no common definition within science disciplines as to what threshold establishes “reasonable” certainty. Therefore,
whether couched as “scientific certainty” or “[discipline] certainty,” the tenn is idiosyncratic to the witness.
The term invites confusion when presented with testimony expressed in probabilistic tenns. How is a layperson, without
either scientific or legal training, to understand an expert’s “reasonable scientific certainty” that evidence is “probably” or
possibly linked to a particular source?" (550)
And a 2012 National Institute of Standards and Technology interagency/intemal report stated,
"Outside the courtroom, however, scientists do not communicate their findings in this fashion. An astronomer who reports the
discovery of an exoplanet does not characterize the finding as satisfying some “reasonable degree of scientific certainty.” A
chemist who deduces the identity of a compound from its nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum has no table of degrees of
scientific certainty with which to label the deduction. Scientists might refer to personal degrees of confidence in a finding or
to the degree of controversy surrounding it, but there is no generally accepted or working definition of a “reasonable degree
of certainty” in scientific discourse." (551)
Some techniques which are used in forensic science also allow the results to be easily tainted by accident, as
there are few established protocols in place. Other areas of forensic science which have been developed in a
crime laboratory to aid in a criminal case are not based on any scientific standards at all. There have been
numerous instances of wrongfully convicted Homo sapiens and some have even been executed by mistake.
Some jurors are also now tainted before the trial even begins as a result of watching so much police drama
television that they have what has been dubbed as the ‘CSI Effect’. A 2009 National Research Council committee
concluded,
"The increased use of DNA analysis as a more reliable approach to matching crime scene evidence with suspects and victims
has resulted in the reevaluation of older cases that retained biological evidence that could be analyzed by DNA. The number
of exonerations resulting from the analysis of DNA has grown across the country in recent years, uncovering a disturbing
number of wrongful convictions — some for capital crimes — and exposing serious limitations in some of the forensic science
approaches commonly used in the United States.
According to The Innocence Project, there have been 223 postconviction DNA exonerations in the United States since 1989
(as of November 2008). Some have contested the percentage of exonerated defendants whose convictions allegedly were
based on faulty science. Although the Innocence Project figures are disputed by forensic scientists who have reexamined the
data, even those who are critical of the conclusions of The Innocence Project acknowledge that faulty forensic science has, on
occasion, contributed to the wrongful conviction of innocent persons.
The fact is that many forensic tests — such as those used to infer the source of toolmarks or bite marks — have never been
exposed to stringent scientific scrutiny. Most of these techniques were developed in crime laboratories to aid in the
investigation of evidence from a particular crime scene, and researching their limitations and foundations was never a top
priority. There is some logic behind the application of these techniques; practitioners worked hard to improve their methods,
and results from other evidence have combined with these tests to give forensic scientists a degree of confidence in their
probative value. Before the first offering of the use of DNA in forensic science in 1986, no concerted effort had been made to
determine the reliability of these tests, and some in the forensic science and law enforcement communities believed that
scientists’ ability to withstand cross-examination in court when giving testimony related to these tests was sufficient to
demonstrate the tests’ reliability. However, although the precise error rates of these forensic tests are still unknown,
comparison of their results with DNA testing in the same cases has revealed that some of these analyses, as currently
performed, produce erroneous results. The conclusions of forensic examiners may or may not be right — depending on the
case — but each wrongful conviction based on improperly interpreted evidence is serious, both for the innocent person and
also for society, because of the threat that may be posed by a guilty person going free. Some non-DNA forensic tests do not
meet the fundamental requirements of science, in terms of reproducibility, validity, and falsifiability.
Even fingerprint analysis has been called into question. For nearly a century, fingerprint examiners have been comparing
partial latent fingerprints found at crime scenes to inked fingerprints taken directly from suspects. Fingerprint identifications
have been viewed as exact means of associating a suspect with a crime scene print and rarely were questioned.
Recently, however, the scientific foundation of the fingerprint field has been questioned, and the suggestion has been made
that latent fingerprint identifications may not be as reliable as previously assumed. The question is less a matter of whether
each person’s fingerprints are permanent and unique — uniqueness is commonly assumed — and more a matter of whether one
can determine with adequate reliability that the finger that left an imperfect impression at a crime scene is the same finger
that left an impression (with different imperfections) in a file of fingerprints. In October 2007, Baltimore County Circuit
Judge Susan M. Souder refused to allow a fingerprint analyst to testify that a latent print was made by the defendant
in a death penalty trial. In her ruling, Judge Souder found the traditional method of fingerprint analysis to be “a subjective,
untested, unverifiable identification procedure that purports to be infallible.”
Some forensic science methods have as their goal the “individualization” of specific types of evidence (typically shoe and tire
impressions, dennal ridge prints, toolmarks and firearms, and handwriting). Analysts using such methods believe that unique
markings are acquired by a source item in random fashion and that such uniqueness is faithfully transmitted from
the source item to the evidence item being examined (or in the case of handwriting, that individuals acquire habits that result
in unique handwriting). When the evidence and putative source items are compared, a conclusion of individualization implies
that the evidence originated from that source, to the exclusion of all other possible sources. The determination of uniqueness
requires measurements of object attributes, data collected on the population frequency of variation in these attributes, testing
of attribute independence, and calculations of the probability that different objects share a common set of observable
attributes. Importantly, the results of research must be made public so that they can be reviewed, checked by others,
criticized, and then revised, and this has not been done for some of the forensic science disciplines. As recently as September
2008, the Detroit Police crime laboratory was shut down following a Michigan State Police audit that found a 10 percent
error rate in ballistic evidence.
The forensic science community has had little opportunity to pursue or become proficient in the research that is needed to
support what it does. Few sources of funding exist for independent forensic research. Most of the studies are commissioned
by DOJ and conducted by crime laboratories with little or no participation by the traditional scientific community. In
addition, most disciplines in the profession are hindered by a lack of enforceable standards for interpretation of data.
In recent years, the integrity of crime laboratories increasingly has been called into question, with some highly publicized
cases highlighting the sometimes lax standards of laboratories that have generated questionable or fraudulent evidence and
that have lacked quality control measures that would have detected the questionable evidence. In one notorious case, a
state-mandated review of analyses conducted by West Virginia State Police laboratory employee Fred Zain revealed that the
convictions of more than 100 people were in doubt because Zain had repeatedly falsified evidence in criminal prosecutions.
At least 10 men had their convictions overturned as a result. Subsequent reviews questioned whether Zain was ever qualified
to perform scientific examinations.
Other scandals, such as one involving the Houston Crime Laboratory in 2003, highlight the sometimes blatant lack of proper
education and training of forensic examiners. In the Houston case, several DNA experts went public with accusations that the
DNA/Serology Unit of the Houston Police Department Crime Laboratory was performing grossly incompetent work and was
presenting findings in a misleading manner designed to unfairly help prosecutors obtain convictions. An audit by the Texas
Department of Public Safety confirmed serious inadequacies in the laboratory’s procedures, including “routine failure to run
essential scientific controls, failure to take adequate measures to prevent contamination of samples, failure to adequately
document work performed and results obtained, and routine failure to follow correct procedures for computing statistical
frequencies.”
The Innocence Project has documented instances of both intentional and unintentional laboratory errors that have led to
wrongful convictions, including:
- In the laboratory — contamination and mislabeling of evidence.
- In information provided in forensics reports — falsified results (including “drylabbing,” i.e., providing conclusions from
tests that were never conducted), and misinterpretation of evidence.
- In the courtroom — suppression of exculpatory evidence; providing a statistical exaggeration of the results of a test
conducted on evidence; and providing false testimony about test results.
Saks and Koehler have written that the testimony of forensic scientists is one of many problems in criminal cases today.30
They cite the norms of science, which emphasize “methodological rigor, openness, and cautious interpretation of data,” as
nonns that often are absent from the forensic science disciplines.
Although cases of fraud appear to be rare, perhaps of more concern is the lack of good data on the accuracy of the analyses
conducted in forensic science disciplines and the significant potential for bias that is present in some cases. For example, the
FBI was accused of bias in the case of the Madrid bombing suspect Brandon Mayfield. In that case, the Inspector General of
DOJ launched an investigation. The FBI conducted its own review by a panel of independent experts. The reviews concluded
that the problem was not the quality of the digital images reviewed, but rather the bias and “circular reasoning” of the FBI
examiners.
Parts of the forensic science community have resisted the implications of the mounting criticism of the reliability of forensic
analyses by investigative units such as Inspector General reports, The Innocence Project, and studies in the published
literature. In testimony before the committee, it was clear that some members of the forensic science community will
not concede that there could be less than perfect accuracy either in given laboratories or in specific disciplines, and experts
testified to the committee that disagreement remains regarding even what constitutes an error. For example, if the limitations
of a given technology lead to an examiner declaring a “match” that is found by subsequent technology (e.g., DNA
analysis) to be a “mismatch,” there is disagreement within the forensic science community about whether the original
determination constitutes an error. Failure to acknowledge uncertainty in findings is common: Many examiners claim in
testimony that others in their field would come to the exact same conclusions about the evidence they have analyzed.
Assertions of a “100 percent match” contradict the findings of proficiency tests that find substantial rates of erroneous results
in some disciplines (i.e., voice identification, bite mark analysis).
As an example, in a FBI publication on the correlation of microscopic and mitochondrial DNA hair comparisons, the authors
found that even competent hair examiners can make significant errors. In this study, the authors found that in 1 1 percent of
the cases in which the hair examiners declared two hairs to be “similar,” subsequent DNA testing revealed that the hairs did
not match, which refers either to the competency or the relative ability of the two divergent techniques to identify differences
in hair samples, as well as to the probative value of each test.
The insistence by some forensic practitioners that their disciplines employ methodologies that have perfect accuracy and
produce no errors has hampered efforts to evaluate the usefulness of the forensic science disciplines. And, although DNA
analysis is considered the most reliable forensic tool available today, laboratories nonetheless can make errors working with
either nuclear DNA or mtDNA — errors such as mislabeling samples, losing samples, or misinterpreting the data.
Standard setting, accreditation of laboratories, and certification of individuals aim to address many of these problems, and
although many laboratories have excellent training and quality control programs, even accredited laboratories make mistakes.
Furthermore, accreditation is a voluntary program, except in a few jurisdictions in which it is required (New York, Oklahoma,
and Texas).
Media attention has focused recently on what is being called the “CSI Effect,” named for popular television shows (such as
Crime Scene Investigation) that are focused on police forensic evidence investigation. The fictional characters in these
dramas often present an unrealistic portrayal of the daily operations of crime scene investigators and crime laboratories
(including their instrumentation, analytical technologies, and capabilities). Cases are solved in an hour, highly technical
analyses are accomplished in minutes, and laboratory and instrumental capabilities are often exaggerated, misrepresented, or
entirely fabricated. In courtroom scenes, forensic examiners state their findings or a match (between evidence and suspect)
with unfailing certainty, often demonstrating the technique used to make the determination. The dramas suggest that
convictions are quick and no mistakes are made.
The CSI Effect specifically refers to the real-life consequences of exposure to Hollywood’s version of law and order. Jurists
and crime laboratory directors anecdotally report that jurors have come to expect the presentation of forensic evidence in
every case, and they expect it to be conclusive. A recent study by Schweitzer and Saks found that compared to those who
do not watch CSI, CSI viewers were “more critical of the forensic evidence presented at the trial, finding it less believable.
Forensic science viewers expressed more confidence in their verdicts than did nonviewers.” Prosecutors and defense
attorneys have reported jurors second guessing them in the courtroom, citing “reasonable doubt” and refusing to convict
because they believed that other evidence was available and not adequately examined.
Schweitzer and Saks found that the CSI Effect is changing the manner in which forensic evidence is presented in court, with
some prosecutors believing they must make their presentation as visually interesting and appealing as such presentations
appear to be on television. Some are concerned that the conclusiveness and finality of the manner in which forensic evidence
is presented on television results in jurors giving more or less credence to the forensic experts and their testimony than they
should, raising expectations, and possibly resulting in a miscarriage of justice. The true effects of the popularization of
forensic science disciplines will not be fully understood for some time, but it is apparent that it has increased pressure and
attention on the forensic science community in the use and interpretation of evidence in the courtroom.
Fragmented and Inconsistent Medicolegal Death Investigation The medicolegal death investigation system is a fragmented
organization of state and local entities called upon to investigate deaths and to certify the cause and manner of unnatural and
unexplained deaths. About 1 percent of the U.S. population (about 2.6 million people) dies each year. Medical examiner and
coroner offices receive nearly 1 million reports of deaths, constituting between 30 to 40 percent of all U.S. deaths in 2004,
and accept about one half of those (500,000, or 1 in 5 deaths) for further investigation and certification.41 In carrying out this
role, medical examiners and coroners are required to decide the scope and course of a death investigation, which may include
assessing the scene of death, examining the body, determining whether to perform an autopsy, and ordering other medical
tests, forensic analyses, and procedures as needed. Yet the training and skill of medical examiners and coroners and the
systems that support them vary greatly. Medical examiners may be physicians, pathologists, or forensic pathologists with
jurisdiction within a county, district, or state. A coroner is an elected or appointed official who might not be a physician or
have had any medical training. Coroners typically serve a single county.
Since 1877, in the United States, there have been efforts to replace the coroner system with a medical examiner system. In
fact, more than 80 years ago, the National Academy of Sciences identified concerns regarding the lack of standardization in
death investigations and called for the abolishment of the coroner’s office, noting that the office “has conclusively
demonstrated its incapacity to perform the functions customarily required of it.” In its place, the report called for well-staffed
offices of a medical examiner, led by a pathologist. In strong terns, the 1928 committee called for the professionalization of
death investigation, with medical science at its center.
Despite these calls, efforts to move away from a coroner system in the United States have stalled. Currently, 1 1 states have
coroner-only systems, 22 states have medical examiner systems, and 18 states have mixed systems — in which some counties
have coroners and others have medical examiners. Some of these states have a referral system, in which the coroner refers
cases to medical examiners for autopsy. According to a 2003 Institute of Medicine report, in addition to the variety of systems
in the United States, the location and authority of the medical examiner or coroner office also varies, with 43 percent of the
U.S. population served by a medical examiner or coroner housed in a separate city, county, or state government office. Other
arrangements involve an office under public safety or law enforcement. The least common placement is under a forensic
laboratory or health department.
Variability also is evident in terns of accreditation of death investigation systems. As of August 2008, 54 of the medical
examiner offices in the United States (serving 23 percent of the population) have been accredited by the National Association
of Medical Examiners, the professional organization of physician medical examiners. Most of the country is served by offices
lacking accreditation. Similarly, requirements for training are not mandatory. About 36 percent of the population lives where
minimal or no special training is required to conduct death investigations. Recently, an 18-year-old high school student was
elected a deputy coroner in Indiana after completing a short training course." (548)
In 1973, the drug field test was patented, and police departments began implementing use of the test even though
the tests are extremely unreliable, as they can give a false-positive result from exposure to more than 80 other
compounds besides illegal drugs. And while there are no official or comprehensive statistics on wrongful
convictions because of errors in field drug tests, thousands of cases have been dismissed because of a false¬
positive field drug test, (482) and thousands of other innocent citizens have most likely been wrongfully
convicted as a result of a false-positive field drug test. A 20 1 3 federal survey of United States forensic
laboratories, found that 8 out of 10 responding laboratories reported that they don’t analyze all drug cases which
are submitted to them. (483) Why are drug field tests admissible in some courts when they can give such an easy
false-positive result, shouldn’t a secondary more definitive technique such as mass spectrometry be used to
confirm the initial results? How many thousands of Homo sapiens have been wrongly accused and possibly even
convicted because of these tests? Why are so many incarcerated in the United States because of unjust
mandatory minimum sentences, a technicality, and other minor infractions or non-violent crimes? How many
millions of American citizens have been incarcerated since the 1970s as a result of the failing War on Drugs?
(387) Why aren’t more comprehensive databases and statistics kept by the government on injustices so that the
continual cause can be corrected, instead of just accepting it as a part of the justice system and that innocence
will at some point prevail? Isn’t the United States criminal justice system first and foremost based on that the
crime must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt? If a forensic technique has be shown to be flawed on
numerous occasions shouldn’t it be abandon? How just is a system with so many errors being allowed to occur?
As of 2017 Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, New
Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming do
not have any compensation statutes, will these states ever give the wrongly convicted the financial support,
housing, education, food, medical services, and other assistance that they are owed?
After the September 1 1 terrorist attacks, there was a mentality of fear spread by demagogues and their paranoid
followers that more terrorist attacks even worse than the September 1 1 terrorist attacks would follow, and that
Americans must be prepared with more cameras and more police with a larger and more military style arsenal.
But the reality is, that in the United States after the September 1 1 terrorist attacks up until 2015, only 95 Homo
sapiens were killed as a result of jihadist-based terrorism, while over that same time frame 410,522 Homo
sapiens died as a result of a domestic firearms, (e.g. accidents, homicide, suicide, etc.) (278) Between 1977 and
2016 anti-abortion extremists committed 11 murders, 26 attempted murders, 42 bombings, 186 arson attacks, 98
attempted bombings or arson attacks, 411 invasions, 1,643 acts of vandalism, 100 butyric acid attacks, 663
anthrax or bioterrorism threats, 239 assault and battery incidents, 545 death threats or threats of harm, 4
kidnappings, 255 burglaries, and 583 incidents of stalking. (533) Hari Sreenivasan on the PBS NewsHour
reported that,
"Despite the nation’s intense national focus on Islamic terrorism since 9/11, homegrown, right wing extremists have also
killed dozens of Americans. The groups include white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups and anti-federalists militias. Since
2001, the number of violent attacks on U.S. soil inspired by far-right ideology has spiked to an average of more than 300 a
year, according to a study by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.
A 2015 survey of U.S. law enforcement groups found they consider anti-government violent extremists to be a more severe
threat than radicalized Muslims. And while jihadist terrorists have killed 95 people in the U.S. since 9/11, far-right extremists
have killed 68 during the same time, including the car attack in Charlottesville." (498)
In the United States, there are some 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs with about
1,400,000 members which are criminally active. (600) Should not more federal money and resources be allocated
to eliminating violent political and religious extremists, domestic terrorism, gangs, and other criminal
organizations through education and societal changes, instead of arming the police to fight terrorist with
weapons that will most likely never be used except during training? Since the September 1 1 terrorist attacks,
there has been a militarization of police departments throughout the United States with many officers becoming
even more military in their appearance by utilizing billions of dollars’ worth of recycled military equipment.
Some police departments have in essence created a secret police state by their actions and abuses of power. In
September 2014, the Washington Post published their findings from an investigation it did about a dramatic
increase of illegal police search and seizures after the September 1 1 terrorist attacks. During their investigation
they found that,
“There have been 61,998 cash seizures made on highways and elsewhere since 9/11 without search warrants or indictments
through the Equitable Sharing Program, totaling more than $2.5 billion. State and local authorities kept more than $1.7 billion
of that while Justice, Homeland Security and other federal agencies received $800 million. Half of the seizures were below
$8,800. Only a sixth of the seizures were legally challenged, in part because of the costs of legal action against the
government. But in 41 percent of cases — 4,455 — where there was a challenge, the government agreed to return money. The
appeals process took more than a year in 40 percent of those cases and often required owners of the cash to sign agreements
not to sue police over the seizures.” (173)
Currently there are no federal government entities which collect data on all criminal arrests of law enforcement
officers, nor are there any federal government entities which monitor all police shootings which occur, therefore
most statistical data on these subjects has been primarily gathered from news reports or concerned organizations.
Between 1976 and 2011, the police in the United States killed at least 14,012 Homo sapiens, perhaps even more.
(210) In 2015, there were 1,146 Homo sapiens killed by police in the United States, 230 of them were unarmed,
and in 2016 there were 1,093 police shootings which resulted in a death. (211) In 2015, the Washington Post and
Bowling Green State University researched police killings in the United States, they found that since 2005 out of
the thousands of killings by the police, and even with evidence that hundreds of the victims were unarmed and
some even shot in the back, only 53 officers were ever charged with a crime. Out of those officers charged, 21
were not convicted, 1 1 were convicted, 19 were pending cases, and 3 made other deals. (212) When a police
shootout occurs, it often results in mass quantities of bullets being fired, like when 13 Cleveland police officers
fired 137 shots into a car killing the unarmed driver and passenger, with one officer alone firing 49 of the shots.
(476) The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency was established in 2003, it now employs 56,000 agents,
177 of which were arrested for official misconduct, between 2004 and 2015. (477) A 2016 study, of only state and
local law enforcement agencies, identified 6,724 arrest cases between 2005 and 2011 which involved 5,545
sworn law enforcement officers engaged in either sex-related, drug-related, alcohol-related, profit-motivated, or
violence-related crimes. Many of these officers were never prosecuted and remained law enforcement officers,
the study found,
“-Sex-related police crime included 1,475 arrest cases of 1,070 sworn officers
- Alcohol-related police crime included 1,405 arrest cases of 1,283 sworn officers
- Drug-related police crime included 739 arrest cases of 665 sworn officers
- Violence-related police crime included 3,328 arrest cases of 2,586 sworn officers
- Profit-motivated police crime included 1,592 cases of 1,396 sworn officers”
"The study identified a total of 422 forcible or statutory rapes, 352 cases of forcible fondling, and 94 sodomy arrest cases.
Children seem to be particularly vulnerable to law enforcement officers who perpetrate sex crimes. Almost one-half of the
known victims were children, and the second-most commonly occurring category in terms of the victim's relationship to the
arrested officer was an unrelated child. Arrested officers were criminally convicted on at least one charge in four- fifths (80%)
of the sex-related cases in which conviction data were available."
"For example, many of the police DUI arrest cases involved traffic accidents (51%) often resulting in victim injury (24.1%)
or fatalities (4%). Arrested officers are known to have lost their jobs as sworn law enforcement officers in less than one-third
(29.8%) of the police DUI arrest cases."
"More than two-thirds of the sworn law enforcement officers arrested for profit-motivated crime lost their jobs (67%) and
more than half of the profit-motivated arrest cases resulted in conviction (57.4%)." (478)
Why are so many trigger-happy individuals and criminals allowed to become officers of the law? Could these
murders and criminal acts be eliminated if police officers were initially evaluated and screened more thoroughly
for possible psychological issues? Should there not be more policing of the police which wield so much power
over society? How many other thousands of criminal acts have police done and gotten away with? Why isn’t
precise data involving police crimes and shootings collected and disseminated by the federal government? Why
are only a small portion of the police officers prosecuted for their crimes? How pure is a justice system that has
statues of limitations for so many crimes, especially when clear evidence so plainly exists many times in the
form of a confession from the criminal? What does it say about the morals and trust of society, when security
systems like armed guards, locks, alarm systems, and cameras must be implemented to maintain order and civil
stability? Can members of society not have better morals instilled by being fostered and educated not only by
their parents or mentors, but also by an example set by society as a whole?
Guns
Since 1 872, the National Rifle Association has lobbied in Washington D.C. for legislation which promotes the
sale and possession of guns, while also fighting against gun-control policies. There are an estimated 875,000,000
small arms in the world, 200,000,000 which arm the militaries, 25,000,000 held by the police, and 650,000,000
possessed by individual civilian gun enthusiasts and criminals. (567) In 2017, in the United States, there were an
estimated 265,000,000 guns possessed by 17% of the population, and each year the number of guns
manufactured continues to rise while the number of individual gun owners falls. Half of the guns in the United
States are possessed by just 3% of American adults, with these super gun owners possessing between 8 and 140
guns each. (464) United States gun manufacturers made 3,040,934 guns in 1986, and this number increased to
10,884,792 guns in 2013. (330)
In the United States, between 2001 and 2015, there were 177,731 reported unintentional nonfatal injuries
resulting from a BB or pellet gunshot, in addition to 236,783 unintentional firearm gunshot injuries. (500)
Between 1968 and 2011, there were 1,400,000 firearm deaths in the United States. (331) There were 58,546
violent incidents in the United States involving a gun in 2016 which resulted in 15,053 deaths. A joint
investigation by the Associated Press and USA Today, found that during the first months of 20 1 6 every other day
a minor died as a result of an accidental shooting, either at their own hands or at the hands of other children or
adults. (499) In the United States, there were 274 mass shootings in 2014, in 2016 the number of mass shootings
increased to 384. (332) The two deadliest mass shooting in United States history occurred less than 16 months
apart, the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting which killed 49 and injured 58 others, and the October 2017 Las
Vegas Route 91 Harvest music festival shooting which killed 58 and injured 546. Then in November 2017, the
deadliest shooting in Texas history occurred at a church leaving 26 dead and 20 others injured. Between 2013
and 2016, there were more than 200 school shootings in the United States. (334) Are the hundreds of mass
shootings each year, and children taking guns to school and killing other children, not enough evidence that there
is a major failure in government with regard to gun legislation? Why are a minority of tyrannical gun enthusiast
allowed to put the rest of the population in potential danger? Are there not enough guns in existence, why must
guns continue to be manufactured? When 4 United States Presidents have been assassinated by gunshots, 2
United States Presidents have been injured during attempted assassinations by gunshots, and others like John
Lennon, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Peter Tosh, and thousands of other peaceful Homo sapiens
have also been assassinated or murdered in cold blood with a gun, is this not enough evidence there should be
major reforms to gun legislation?
Guns are justified as being a part of freedom, for use to hunt animals, for protection, and crime prevention. In
Spain, Cyprus, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Germany, Greece, Romania, United Kingdom,
Australia, and some other countries where gun legislation has been enacted to control and ban firearms, there are
far lower rates of accidental shootings, mass shootings, armed robberies, murders, and other crimes committed
with firearms. And yet in the United States where guns are legal more gun related crimes occur. Logical sensible
Homo sapiens don't own guns, they call 911. Neighborhood watch groups were designed to be the eyes and ears
of police and nothing more, now, where the laws allow, thousands of these trigger-happy volunteers pack a
variety of guns. Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed, was murdered in 2012 by neighborhood watch volunteer
George Zimmerman, a violent gun owner known to police with a prior history of violence with guns, who was
also told to wait for police but did not.
Why are things like bump stocks legal? Why are the mentally ill allowed to own guns? Why are military style
weapons even legal? What good are background checks if they aren’t universal and can easily be circumvented
through private sales? What purpose do guns ever serve other than to kill? Must one own a gun for protection,
are the police not enough protection? Can society not simply educate and impress good morals onto itself to
prevent crime? Do guns really symbolize freedom, or nothing more than paranoia and intimidation? Is there a
real need for guns because of an old antiquated constitutional provision which allows the population to rise up
against an old form of government, military, and police force? Is it even possible for today’s society to rise up
against the government and revolt, do these fanatical gun owners not see the impossibility of such an uprising,
when the government with a much larger force and far superior weapons could so easily subdue any rebellion?
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote,
“They fail to see that no internal revolution has ever succeeded in overthrowing a government by violence unless the
government had already lost the allegiance and effective control of its anned forces. Anyone in his right mind knows that this
will not happen in the United States. In a violent racial situation, the power structure has the local police, the state troopers,
the national guard and finally the army to call on...” (333)
Religion
Religions have attempted to help maintain the societal order and answer questions about the unknown, but have
failed miserably for over 10,000 years. The exploitation of religious followers some by televangelist
personalities like Jimmy Swaggart, Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, Robert Schuller,
Benny Hinn, Oral Roberts, and others is further clear evidence of how fraudulent these modern-day religions
truly are. Religion has become just another business where a religion can make vast sums of money, usually in
the form of cash, and always tax exempt. The economic value of religion in the United States alone is
$1,000,000,000,000 a year based on the revenues of faith-based organizations, the fair market value of goods
and services provided by religious organizations, and on businesses with religious roots. (377) Do any of these
devout worshipers ever question what their weekly tithing was spent on? How many billions of dollars has been
wasted because of mismanagement, embezzlement, or other fraud? How many billions of dollars has been spent
by the leaders of these religious organizations on their self-indulgent lifestyles?
Most religious leaders have also been silent and neutral when it comes to the destruction of Earth, and some even
encourage it through the message they preach during their sermons, which continuously focuses on the inevitable
pseudo apocalypse. If it ever happens at all, the end of days which the Bible and other religions speak of with the
natural world destroying Earth and Homo sapiens, will only be the self-inflicted one which is created by Homo
sapiens depredations. Some Christians even justify their depredations of Earth with Bible passages like Genesis
1:28 which states, ‘God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and
subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on
the earth. ”’lf one thinks the end of the world is coming, as many religious followers believe, what motivation
do they have for being a good steward of Earth? If one believes that the Earth was given to them by God to do
with what they please, how can they ever be expected to coexist on Earth? Religions talk of thou shalt not do this
or that, and if you do then wrath of God will be brought down upon you, and yet most of these religious
followers continuously destroy Earth. Is it not a contradiction to worship God, but then depredate the Earth
which is God’s supposed creation? Would not their supposed God be more ecstatic if Homo sapiens treated the
Earth with more respect and admiration for which it was created? How can religious Homo sapiens all in the
name of greed, power, and progress willingly and hypocritically destroy a perfect creation like the Earth, which
their supposed God created? Is it not disrespectful and sacrilegious in a sense to depredate the Earth which your
supposed God created? Perhaps Homo sapiens have had so much fear of God instilled into them over several
thousand years that it just doesn't matter anymore, and there is no true fear nor respect for their supposed God.
Some Homo sapiens appear to be abandoning traditional religions around the world and are seeking something
more factual to believe in and ponder. Could a revived connection with nature help those with questions about
the meaning of life to find the answers from within? Nature has what most everyone is seeking, truth and purity,
and this will never be matched by the religious creations of Homo sapiens. Perhaps one-day Homo sapiens will
acknowledge this, coexist on Earth, and learn from it. Maybe a new religion will emerge in the near future based
on nature and the environment. If this new type of environmental based religion does emerge and takes hold
anywhere near the way religions of the past have, it would bring billions of Homo sapiens back to their roots
with nature and perhaps initiate more coexistence on Earth. Perhaps Homo sapiens will fully abandon the current
religions after thousands of years like the mythological and sacrificial religions before them. As of 2010,
estimated religious statistics for the world were: Christian 3 1 .4%, Muslim 23.2%, Hindu 15%, Buddhist 7.1%,
folk religions 5.9%, Jewish 0.2%, other 0.8%, unaffiliated 16.4%. But it should also be noted, that some of those
who claim a religious affiliation do not practice the religion actively and are simply responding to the question
with the religion that was forced on them as a child. The unaffiliated percentage has steadily risen over time and
will perhaps be the majority in the near future. (124) In 201 1, Daniel M. Abrams, Haley A. Yaple, and Richard J.
Wiener released, ‘Dynamics of Social Group Competition: Modeling the Decline of Religious Affiliation' , in it,
they stated,
"People claiming no religious affiliation constitute the fastest growing religious minority in many countries throughout the
world. Americans without religious affiliation comprise the only religious group growing in all 50 states; in 2008 those
claiming no religion rose to 15% nationwide, with a maximum in Vermont at 34%.In the Netherlands nearly half the
population is religiously unaffiliated."
"We found that a particular case of the solution fits census data on competition between religious and irreligious segments of
modem secular societies in 85 regions around the world. The model indicates that in these societies the perceived utility of
religious nonaffiliation is greater than that of adhering to a religion, and therefore predicts continued growth of nonaffiliation,
tending toward the disappearance of religion." (614)
It all began with the enlightenment or intellectual movement which spawned out of the Renaissance era 500
years ago, it was the beginning of favoring rational inquiry over the long-established dogma, science along with
logic, truth, and knowledge could be suppressed no more. Science will ultimately succeed in the end, because of
scientists and philosophers which are logical and rational in their thinking, (e.g. Lucretius, Hippocrates,
Pythagoras, Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Copernicus, Spinoza, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Darwin, Einstein, and so
many others) Some of them spent time in jail, exile, or were killed as a result of their work. Today thanks to
these pioneers of science and logical thought, and even modem-day specialty debunkers, all pseudo things like
religions, pseudoscience, myths, wise tales, rumors, hoaxes, and the like are eventually replaced with the truth
through logical thought and scientific factual evidence. Will science, knowledge, the power of the Internet, and
time result in less mainstream religions and eventually make them just another thing of the past like Greek
mythology? Perhaps the charlatans, fear-mongers, alarmists, and other ‘Franz von Walseggs ’ of the world who
peipetuate these lies will also disappear with time as well. What would the world be like if every religious
follower first read Thomas Paine’s ‘The Age of Reason ’ before so blindly following such religions?
Some Homo sapiens still possess an Orthodox or other religious viewpoint about society. Earth, and even the
Universe. Religion based purely on faith discourages logic and seems to ignore it as if it isn't applicable. A future
observer might see this as foolish, given Homo sapiens level of technological and scientific advancements over
the last 100 years. One can understand science and believe that something created the entire universe, call it God
or whatever name suits you, but the question will forever linger as to what created the creator, and thus the God
and creation loop is forever infinite. And it is precisely this type of uncertainty which perpetuates religions still
to this day, as most all religions are based not on fact, but on faith in fiction, superstition, myth, magic, or
mysticism. In 1930, Albert Einstein wrote an article about religion and science for the New York Times
Magazine, in it he made the following remarks,
"In this sense I am speaking of a religion of fear. This, though not created, is in an important degree stabilized by the
formation of a special priestly caste which sets itself up as a mediator between the people and the beings they fear, and erects
a hegemony on this basis. In many cases a leader or ruler or a privileged class whose position rests on other factors combines
priestly functions with its secular authority in order to make the latter more secure; or the political rulers and the priestly caste
make common cause in their own interests."
"But there is a third stage of religious experience which belongs to all of them, even though it is rarely found in a pure form: I
shall call it cosmic religious feeling. It is very difficult to elucidate this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it, especially
as there is no anthropomorphic conception of God corresponding to it.
The individual feels the futility of human desires and aims and the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves
both in nature and in the world of thought. Individual existence impresses him as a sort of prison and he wants to experience
the universe as a single significant whole."
"The religious geniuses of all ages have been distinguished by this kind of religious feeling, which knows no dogma and no
God conceived in man's image; so that there can be no church whose central teachings are based on it. Hence it is precisely
among the heretics of every age that we find men who were filled with this highest kind of religious feeling and were in many
cases regarded by their contemporaries as atheists, sometimes also as saints. Looked at in this light, men like Democritus,
Francis of Assisi, and Spinoza are closely akin to one another.
How can cosmic religious feeling be communicated from one person to another, if it can give rise to no definite notion of a
God and no theology? In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive
in those who are receptive to it."
"The man who is thoroughly convinced of the universal operation of the law of causation cannot for a moment entertain the
idea of a being who interferes in the course of events provided, of course, that he takes the hypothesis of causality really
seriously. He has no use for the religion of fear and equally little for social or moral religion. A God who rewards and
punishes is inconceivable to him for the simple reason that a man's actions are determined by necessity, external and internal,
so that in God's eyes he cannot be responsible, any more than an inanimate object is responsible for the motions it undergoes.
Science has therefore been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be
based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a
poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
It is therefore easy to see why the churches have always fought science and persecuted its devotees. On the other hand, I
maintain that the cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and noblest motive for scientific research. Only those who realize
the immense efforts and, above all, the devotion without which pioneer work in theoretical science cannot be achieved are
able to grasp the strength of the emotion out of which alone such work, remote as it is from the immediate realities of life,
can issue. What a deep conviction of the rationality of the universe and what a yearning to understand, were it but a feeble
reflection of the mind revealed in this world, Kepler and Newton must have had to enable them to spend years of solitary
labor in disentangling the principles of celestial mechanics! Those whose acquaintance with scientific research is derived
chiefly from its practical results easily develop a completely false notion of the mentality of the men who, surrounded by a
skeptical world, have shown the way to kindred spirits scattered wide through the world and the centuries. Only one who has
devoted his life to similar ends can have a vivid realization of what has inspired these men and given them the strength to
remain true to their purpose in spite of countless failures. It is cosmic religious feeling that gives a man such strength. A
contemporary has said, not unjustly, that in this materialistic age of ours the serious scientific workers are the only
profoundly religious people." (58)
Most religions have also helped to bring about a false justification of patriarchy, with God so often referred to as
‘He ’ and never ‘She Most religions are nothing more than a tyrannical form of control based on faith and fear
of the unknown, and religions have always used their power to control or in an attempt to control Homo sapiens.
How can billions of Homo sapiens still follow these mainstream antiquated religions that have committed so
many horrendous deeds over the last 2,000 years? Do these followers not know the history of their religion
which they follow so blindly? How can one follow and believe in such a hypocrisy that has done nothing more
than suppress and exploit Homo sapiens throughout history? Why would anyone follow a religion which has a
known history of cruelty, murder, prejudice, and deception? Perhaps more research of the factual historic
evidence would enlighten followers to how truly evil the religions they worship are. Since 2004, more than 3,400
credible cases of sexual abuse towards children by Catholic priests have been reported to the Vatican. And
although there is irrefutable evidence and even confessions in some cases, only a small number of these priests
have gone to trial and have avoided true justice in a court of law. Instead the Vatican has delivered pseudo justice
in the form of 848 priests having been defrocked, or returned to the lay state, and another 2,572 have been given
a lifetime of penance and prayer or another lesser sanction. (485) Between 2007 and 2015, the New York
Catholic Conference spent more than $2,100,000 on lobbying, in part to work on blocking child-sex law reforms
involving the statute of limitations and timelines for commencing certain civil actions related to sex offenses.
(486) It is interesting to examine the perspective of Christianity by that of a non-believer and who does not take
part in organized religion, a perspective like that of an Indian such as Ishi. Theodora Kroeber wrote that,
“Christian doctrine interested him, and seemed to him to be for the most part reasonable and understandable. He held to the
conviction that the White God would not care to have Indians in His home, for all Loudy told him to the contrary. It may have
occurred to him that the souls of white men would fit but poorly into a round dance of Yana dead. If so, he was too polite to
say so. ..When Ishi saw the cinema of Passion Play, which moved him and which he found beautiful, he assumed that Christ
was the “badman” whose crucifixion was justified.” (100)
If Homo sapiens are to ever truly progress forward as a whole, traditional religions will most likely need to be
abandoned completely. The time and energy that Homo sapiens would acquire by the abandonment of these time
consuming pointless activities would be exponential. What could be accomplished if instead of wasting time
worshiping and idolizing myths for hours on end, individuals became more scientifically educated, devoted time
to resolving social issues, or helped to clean-up Earth? Billions of minds are simply waiting to be exposed to
scientific truth and knowledge, and perhaps when that happens the scientific disciplines will have far more input
from additional minds helping to unravel the scientific mysteries of the universe. In 1941 at a Symposium on
science, philosophy, and religion Albert Einstein said,
"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity
does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge.” (60)
By definition, all religions are cults, and they engage in deception, brainwashing, and other manipulative actions
over their followers, and it is nothing more than fear and ignorance which peipetuates these religions.
Organizations like Scientology, Aryan Nations, Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, Unification Church, Peoples
Temple, and thousands of other groups claim or claimed to be religions, and yet they have been known or were
known to engage in either racism, terrorism, follower abuse, harassment, extortion, or other illegal activities.
Even more ludicrous are some of the foundations these cults are based on, like extraterrestrials and doomsday
prophecies. L. Ron Hubbard’s Scientology uses alien Gods named Xenu and Rael, which founded the Raelism
cult on his supposed December 13, 1973 encounter with an extraterrestrial. How can an organization like
Scientology be allowed to operate so secretively posing as a religion, when they are known to engage in criminal
activities? The documentary series ‘Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath ’2016, explains exactly how
this modem-day cult manipulates its followers and seeks to destroy its critics. These negative cults are allowed
to thrive while the followers of positive and peaceful spiritual practices like Tibetan Buddhism and Falun Gong
are persecuted, jailed, and even executed by the Chinese government. Robert Pirsig wrote,
‘‘An insane delusion can't be held by a group at all. A person isn't considered insane if there are a number of people who
believe the same way. Insanity isn't supposed to be a communicable disease. If one other person starts to believe him, or
maybe two or three, then it's a religion."
“The current subject-object point of view of religion, conventionally muted so as not to stir up the fanatics, is that religious
mysticism and insanity are the same. Religious mysticism is intellectual garbage. It's a vestige of the old superstitious Dark
Ages when nobody knew anything and the whole world was sinking deeper and deeper into filth and disease and poverty and
ignorance. It is one of those delusions that isn't called insane only because there are so many people involved.” (428)
The occult has been in existence longer than modem religions and is still practiced by millions around the world
today in some lesser form than that of 5,000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians are thought to have worshipped
faunae so much so that they imagined them as Gods, mummifying millions of cats, birds, and other faunae. Even
today occultists focus on bizarre foolish magical rituals sometimes involving the sacrifice of living florae or
faunae. Occultists often claim to have some connection to the Universe or nature and attempt to derive powers
from nature by offering nature itself as the sacrifice, but they in fact do not respect nature and cannot derive any
powers from nature, nor do they have any magical or special connection to it.
Instead of worshiping, idolizing, and celebrating antiquated religions, perhaps future generations will celebrate
the beauty, perfection, diversity, and evolutionary brilliance within nature. Nature is capable of giving Homo
sapiens enlightenment on a scale far greater than any religion could ever come close to. If one wants to meet
God or go to church, go out into the wilds of nature and meet God up close and personal, it was all scientifically
engineered to perfection using the laws of nature, and you can get no closer to a God if one exists. Nature and
everything contained in the Universe is a direct result of a perfect formula and is an example of the only true
perfection which is possible throughout the Universe. God if it exists, could be best described as a naturalist with
an extremely logical thought process which set the Universe itself into motion and is allowing things to evolve
without intervention, for none is necessary, as the laws of nature and that which make up the Universe are
perfect, and evidence of this can be seen in every aspect of nature and even the Universe itself. One need only
look at nature to see the beauty and perfection with which it has evolved into over billions of years. Thomas
Paine wrote,
"All the knowledge man has of science and of machinery, by the aid of which his existence is rendered comfortable upon
earth, and without which he would be scarcely distinguishable in appearance and condition from a common animal, comes
from the great machine and structure of the universe. The constant and unwearied observations of our ancestors upon the
movements and revolutions of the heavenly bodies, in what are supposed to have been the early ages of the world, have
brought this knowledge upon earth. It is not Moses and the prophets, nor Jesus Christ, nor his apostles, that have done it. The
Almighty is the great mechanic of the creation; the first philosopher and original teacher of all science. Let us, then, learn to
reverence our master, and let us not forget the labors of our ancestors.
Had we, at this day, no knowledge of machinery, and were it possible that man could have a view, as I have before described,
of the structure and machinery of the universe, he would soon conceive the idea of constructing some at least of the
mechanical works we now have; and the idea so conceived would progressively advance in practice. Or could a model of the
universe, such as is called an orrery, be presented before him and put in motion, his mind would arrive at the same idea. Such
an object and such a subject would, while it improved him in knowledge useful to himself as a man and a member of society,
as well as entertaining, afford far better matter for impressing him with a knowledge of, and a belief in, the Creator, and of
the reverence and gratitude that man owes to him, than the stupid texts of the Bible and of the Testament from which, be the
talents of the preacher what they may, only stupid sermons can be preached. If man must preach, let him preach something
that is edifying, and from texts that are known to be true.
The Bible of the creation is inexhaustible in texts. Every part of science, whether connected with the geometry of the
universe, with the systems of animal and vegetable life, or with the properties of inanimate matter, is a text as well for
devotion as for philosophy-for gratitude as for human improvement. It will perhaps be said, that if such a revolution in the
system of religion takes place, every preacher ought to be a philosopher. Most certainly; and every house of devotion a school
of science." (630)
How can Homo sapiens engage in religions when they are based on such an obvious lie and on faith and not
fact? What would the world be like if Homo sapiens simply respected Earth and the other species which inhabit
the planet instead of practicing illogical religions? What would religious followers be like if they simply spent
time in nature instead of going to church on Sunday? The majority of religions around the world be it
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or other place no real emphasis on the natural world, which is the purest connection
that one can have with God or the Universe at large. What would the world be like today if society had not tried
to make God a reflective image of Homo sapiens, and instead understood nature as the true and only reflection of
God that exists on Earth? How much more enlightened would the world be if more children were given the
scientific truth to read versus fictional biblical entertainment? Why can’t more Homo sapiens see the scientific
brilliance with which the Universe was created? Does not Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection ’ disprove all the organized religions through the scientific evidence of evolution? Albert
Einstein said,
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true
art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes
are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery-even if mixed with fear-that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence
of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their
most primitive forms are accessible to our minds-it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity; in this
sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man. I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or
has a will of the kind that we experience in ourselves. Neither can I nor would I want to conceive of an individual that
survives his physical death; let feeble souls, from fear or absurd egoism, cherish such thoughts. I am satisfied with the
mystery of the eternity of life and with the awareness and a glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world, together
with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the Reason that manifests itself in nature.” (53)
Furthermore, Albert Einstein said,
“What is the meaning of human life, or, for that matter, of the life of any creature? To know an answer to this question means
to be religious. You ask: Does it make any sense, then, to pose this question? I answer: The man who regards his own life and
that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unhappy but hardly fit for life.” (53)
The destructive godlike mentality which some Homo sapiens have in thinking that they can do anything,
including depredate Earth, must be changed if true progress for humanity is to ever be made. To be born into this
world and assume that it is rational and logical that Homo sapiens are Godlike creatures on Earth is a very
erroneous assumption to make. Religions have only led Homo sapiens in a negative direction and down path of
lies for thousands of years. To follow a mythical legend passed down for thousands of years and not ever
question or even research history is a disservice to the self. Religion has been so good at brainwashing followers
it’s no wonder that more Homo sapiens have not seen the facade which has been perpetuated for thousands of
years. The traditional religions have been proven again and again to be antiquated through scientific facts and
simple logic, but they have always managed to adapt their teachings to include evolution and other selected parts
of science which can be interwoven to be included into their web of lies. Even if extraterrestrials came down
from outer space organized religious followers would most likely say it was the devil or just another thing God
was doing to test their faith. In what Albert Einstein referred to as the 'Religious Spirit of Science' he wrote,
But the scientist is possessed by the sense of universal causation. The future, to him, is every whit as necessary and
determined as the past. There is nothing divine about morality; it is a purely human affair. His religious feeling takes the fonn
of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with
it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection. This feeling is the guiding
principle of his life and work, in so far as he succeeds in keeping himself from the shackles of selfish desire. It is beyond
question closely akin to that which has possessed the religious geniuses of all ages." (59)
Perhaps in the near future, through science, all religions will finally be definitively proven impossible and shown
for what they truly are, which is nothing more than a fallacy. The fatal flaw with most religions is that they are
based on legends and rely on the faith of the ignorant to survive. Most religions are still relying on old conquest
and conversion tactics which only work on their ignorant naive followers. Some use simple logical deductions
combined with scientific thought based on all known scientific knowledge, factual and theoretical, to formulate a
more original and meaningful postulation about religion and the meaning of life. Perhaps in the future religion
will be based on facts and become something more meaningful by doing far more positive things within society
and for the conservation of Earth. What a waste of life when one thinks of all the millions of Homo sapiens who
have been tortured, murdered, sacrificed, or were martyrs all in the name of a God that that was created by Homo
sapiens. Religions no longer have ultimate power over Homo sapiens and they can no longer can suppress and
destroy knowledge, nor imprison or murder the scientists who progress that knowledge.
Most all ancient religions that past cultures invented throughout history worshiped the powers of nature, but it
was more of a respect based on fear, and not reverence based on coexistence. The irony is, that after 10,000 years
Homo sapiens have again come full circle to the source of it all, nature. There is nothing wrong with some of the
ethics which have been taught through religions, but one could just as easily get a moral standard from a
philosophy like Confucianism, which existed 500 years before Jesus and 1,000 years before Muhammad. As
Confucianism is purely philosophical and non-religious, it has been described as definitively pantheistic,
nontheistic, and humanistic. Perhaps it will be by rediscovering this ancient philosophy that will help to change
Homo sapiens ethics, or perhaps it will be through New Age shamanistic works like Carlos Castaneda's 12 book
series with don Juan Matus which draws on many ancient religious concepts. Society and future generations
already appear to be gravitating towards a Confucianism and humanism type society as any observer can clearly
see by societies focus on knowledge, science, history, human rights, freedom, and truth. What would the world
be like if everyone lived by the simple Ahimsa virtue of nonviolence and respected all living things? Have the
plethora of new social activities already begun to substitute traditional religious activities? Are celebrities now
worshiped more than Jesus? Is social media being used more than the Bible? Has entertainment and technology
already begun to replace mainstream religions?
Suppression of History and Knowledge
History has often been written by the winners of wars. The destruction of art and history has been done
throughout history by conquering tyrants or by the religions which backed them, and it was usually done out of
unwarranted fear, in order to spread lies, erase history and truth, and ultimately to convert the now ignorant
humble masses to follow the new ruler and a new faith. These tyrants and religious fanatics have always
attempted to silence the truth by controlling knowledge and rewriting history. And although they have erased
some history, they have all failed in the end and only made the thirst for truth and knowledge even stronger. How
much more advanced and enlightened would humanity be if science and history would have not been suppressed
so much throughout history? How much history and knowledge was suppressed and erased all in the name of
religion and politics? What type of art could have been created by Michelangelo and other artists if they would
have had total creative freedom instead of religious tyrants forcing them to create religious art works based on
myth?
The Library of Alexandria containing thousands of scrolls and books, was destroyed partially or completely
several times throughout history. The amount of history and knowledge that was destroyed in the New World by
the conquistadors and the Catholic priests which accompanied them is incalculable. Of the thousands of Maya
Codices that once existed, only the Madrid Codex, Dresden Codex, and Paris Codex now remain, and other
ancient knowledge like the Rongorongo glyphs were also destroyed. Recent history witnessed 3,000 books from
the Library of Congress used by the English to ignite the United States Capitol during the Burning of
Washington in 1813. In 1873 fanatical petty tyrant Anthony Comstock founded the New York Society for the
Suppression of Vice, and managed to bum 15 tons of books, 284,000 pounds of plates for printing books, and
nearly 4,000,000 pictures he deemed lewd. Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi regime burned millions of books,
many were only copies, but some were not. Also included in these Nazi burnings were the personal papers, art,
photos, letters, journals, and other writings of many individuals. An eccentric scientist Wilhelm Reich may have
been, but it did not justify the destruction of his invention, nor the burning of his 6 tons of books and papers by
the United States government in 1957. In 1973, the Chilean fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet burned hundreds of
books to foster repression and censorship. In 1981, the Sinhalese police and paramilitaries burned the Jaffna
Public Library in Sri Lanka, resulting in the loss of nearly 100,000 Tamil books and rare documents. As of 2017,
the Texas Department of Criminal Justice was still banning some 10,000 published titles from the nearly 150,000
inmates which reside in the state prison system. (611) How could a country with rights guaranteeing freedom of
speech and thought still be engaged in such blatant censorship?
There will always be those who spread the truth with comedy like Bill Hicks, George Carlin, Richard Pryor,
Howard Stem, Lenny Bruce, and others, and there have always been those who have attempted to censor this
speech. How can freedom of speech be in the foundation of a constitution, while the United States Federal
Communications Commission, which is an appointed not elected division of the government, is allowed to
censor and regulate free speech over broadcasting with their indecency codes? How can language be filtered on
public television, radio, and other mediums by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) when this
clearly violates freedom of speech? What right does a government have to censor a set of words that a religious
minority has deemed indecent, when in reality the words are simply a fomi of expression? The Internet which is
rapidly replacing radio and television broadcasting will ultimately put an end to this censorship, as there is no
way to truly regulate and enforce censorship in the vastness of cyberspace, and any attempts have for the most
part been thwarted by citizen protests thus far. Why have these language censorship laws not been repealed as
the Internet has definitively made these laws obsolete?
Information will never be controlled or eliminated through censorship, it will only make Homo sapiens seek it
out even further, and censorship efforts like the ‘Index Librorum Prohibitorum ’ by the Roman Catholic Church
will always fail and often will have the opposite effect making the censored work even more popular. There have
always been dissident activities when there is censorship, like Russian samizdat and similar underground
information networks, and now with the Internet there is no chance of traditional censorship ever happening
again. If anything, the truth of the future might be censored by the sea of false information which now seems so
prevalent in some parts of the Internet. But this form of censorship cannot happen if one is able to see through
the veil of lies, and find the truth through the individuals and organizations who make this truth easier to find. An
observer of today’s society might see that the current society members will never be controlled through
censorship or by big brother, but rather by corporations, greed, necessity, money, indulgence, and pleasure. In
describing Aldous Huxley's ‘Brave New World’ vq rsus George Orwell’s ‘1984 ’, Neil Postman wrote,
“...no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to
love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.
What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book,
for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared
those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be
concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a
captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy
porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.”
“In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting
pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.” (370)
Education and The Monetary Value of History and Knowledge
Education and history have become just another avenue to generate money and make huge profits from. College
education in the United States and some other western countries has become based around profits and not
education. In 2017, Student loan debt in the United States was $1,400,000,000,000 an increase of 170% from 10
years ago. 44,000,000 Americans have student debt with 8,000,000 of the borrowers in default. (320) In 2016,
U.S. college graduates that utilized student loans had an average debt of $37,173 a 6% increase from 2015. (423)
The vast majority of museums and historical monuments in the world charge an entrance fee to access history.
Does this history not belong to all the Homo sapiens of Earth? Shouldn’t all museums and historical monuments
give free admission, so everyone can view and learn from them at any time? Some access to the truth and written
scientific knowledge which is published online is controlled with monetary based subscriptions, college level
education can be expensive and limited, and even the Internet is censored with filters by some countries and
service providers. How can the world learn when the knowledge and history can only be accessed by some and
not all? Should not all education at every level be freely available to anyone willing to learn? Why can’t all
college classes be broadcast live via the Internet for free allowing anyone in the world access to the them? How
much more intelligent would many Homo sapiens be if they had access to the Ivy League type curriculums and
other educational resources where access is limited? Why are most primary, middle, and high schools free and
paid for by the government, while most colleges are independent private-sector institutions which are not only
limited to many for various reasons, but are also focused more on money and not in increasing and diffusing
knowledge?
Education has always been forced onto citizens ever since Plato first popularized compulsory education. Even
today, all United States citizens, beginning as early as age 5 until 18 years of age, are required by law to go to
some form of schooling either at a public school, private school, or homeschool to be taught the government
approved standard curriculum. This forced education can create a sort of prison for some students and potentially
lead to anxiety, stress, and even depression. Bullying is not uncommon and is very often unescapable in such a
confined setting. Education can also be a tool of subversion when students are not taught the truth but are instead
taught lies and a distorted history based on the religious or political ideology of the teacher or school. Would
students not perhaps have more interest in education if they were able to choose what they wanted to study and
where they wanted to study it? What would students be like if more schools practiced the Montessori educational
approach or something similar? Will Homo sapiens become self-educated through the Internet and abandon
traditional schools entirely in the future?
Today it seems that many individuals know more and more about less and less, focusing on a tiny fraction of the
whole and missing out on the larger scope of things. Their knowledge of history and of scientific facts are
minimal if not non-existent unless it applies to their daily activities. Many Homo sapiens know more about the
previous 24 hours than about anything else, and often what they do know in regard to science and history are
useless trivial entertainment related facts. Neil Postman wrote,
“This coincidence suggests that the new technologies had turned the age-old problem of information on its head: Where
people once sought infonnation to manage the real contexts of their lives, now they had to invent contexts in which otherwise
useless infonnation might be put to some apparent use. The crossword puzzle is one such pseudo context; the cocktail party is
another; the radio quiz shows of the 1930's and 1940's and the modern television game show are still others; and the ultimate,
perhaps, is the wildly successful “Trivial Pursuit.” In one fonn or another, each of these supplies an answer to the question,
“What am I to do with all these disconnected facts?” And in one fonn or another, the answer is the same: Why not use them
for diversion? for entertainment? to amuse yourself, in a game?... A pseudo context is a structure invented to give fragmented
and inelevant information a seeming use. But the use the pseudo context provides is not action, or problem-solving, or
change. It is the only use left for infonnation with no genuine connection to our lives. And that, of course, is to amuse. The
pseudo context is the last refuge, so to say, of a culture overwhelmed by inelevance, incoherence, and impotence.” (676)
The Slaughter, Slavery, and Forced Assimilation of Indigenous Homo sapiens
For thousands of years many indigenous Homo sapiens lived in peace and coexisted with nature and each other,
living a very simplistic lifestyle. And even though some of their pseudo religious views were bizarre, their
politics they practiced are perhaps somewhat antiquated, and ultimately, they all collapsed for one reason or
another, it is their minimalist lifestyle, morals, and connection with nature shown in their respect for Earth,
which modem societies could perhaps leam and benefit most from. Some indigenous viewed civilization itself
and societies disconnection with nature as the problems, Theodora Kroeber wrote,
"He considered the white man to be fortunate, inventive, and very, very clever; but childlike and lacking in a desirable
reserve, and in a true understanding of Nature-her mystic face; her terrible and her benign power.”
"Ishi felt quite sure that he knew the chief causes for men's sickening in civilization. They were, briefly, the excessive amount
of time men spent cooped up in automobiles, in offices, and in their own houses. It is not a man's nature to be too much
indoors...” (656)
When the Spanish, French, Portuguese, English, and other European empires sent expeditions to the New World
they were not on a mission of peace or scientific discovery, they were on one of conquest. They did not seek
peace with the Indigenous Homo sapiens initially, and there was only temporary peace obtained briefly at times,
and this was usually broken on the part of the European not the indigenous. Alcohol was introduced to the
indigenous which had a devastating impact turning many into drunkards, as they had built up no tolerance like
the Europeans who had consumed alcohol for thousands of years. The invaders brought with them not only new
vices, but new diseases as well like chicken pox, dysentery, influenza, malaria, measles, typhus, smallpox,
pneumonia, tuberculosis, typhoid, and others. Before even making contact with the invaders many indigenous
Homo sapiens were killed by these diseases introduced by the Spanish, hence these diseases did much of the
genocide rather than the actual hands of the conquistadors. Christians regarded the conquests as simply another
opportunity to convert more Homo sapiens and gain more followers. The proselytizing of indigenous Homo
sapiens throughout the world resulted in many older and alternative religions being destroyed and lost forever.
Culture, history, and knowledge were exterminated all in the name of conquest and Christianity. Ina Corrine
Brown wrote,
"People can and do modify and change their social patterns but when whole peoples are ruthlessly separated from their past
the result is almost always disorganization and deterioration. We have seen this cultural breakdown in peoples who somehow
seemed to lose the will to live and who literally died out under the impact of conquest that took all the meaning out of life. We
have seen it in the pathetic deterioration of many once proud Indian tribes whose cup of life was broken under the impact of
the white man. We have seen it, too, in American Negros, robbed of their African heritage and prevented from accepting foil
the new heritage that was being forged as a part of the American dream. We are seeing it today take a new form as totalitarian
governments consciously and ruthlessly go about making other peoples over in their own image.” (22)
When De Soto explored America between 1539 and 1542, he left a wake of destruction and bodies in his path
while also enslaving the mostly peaceful Mobilian Indian tribes of the southeastern United States. D. H.
Montgomery wrote,
"It was 'a roving company of gallant freebooters,' in search of fortune. De Soto had provided bloodhounds and chains to hunt
and enslave the Indians...
The expedition landed at Tampa Bay, and began its march of exploration, of robbery, and of murder. The soldiers seized the
natives, chained them in couples so that they might not escape, and forced them to carry their baggage and pound their com.
The chief of each tribe through whose country they passed was compelled to serve as a guide until they reached the next tribe.
If an Indian refused to be as slave or a beast of burden for these insolent Spaniards, his fate was pitiful. They set him up as a
target, and riddled his body with bullets; or they chopped off his hands, and then sent him home to exhibit the useless,
bleeding stumps to his family.
They found no gold worth mentioning; but in its stead, hunger, suffering, and death. They deserved what they found. ..they
were a miserable band, half-naked, half starved, looking worse than the savages they had gone out to subdue.” (48)
Although colonialism forcibly assimilated and destroyed many ancient cultures of the Americas, to this day
many Spaniards refer to their ancestors as discoverers, and there is still a major holiday, Columbus Day,
celebrated in Spain, Italy, and most United States cities. There are many monuments, parks, roads, cities, and
other things throughout the world named after Christopher Columbus, and there is even a hospital in Madrid,
Spain commemorating the day when Columbus reached the New World, ‘Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre
Some Spaniards, Americans, French, and British, regard the conquests and colonialism of their ancestors as a
good and justifiable act. But the true nature of the conquistadors and of all European empires of the colonialism
era which followed, was that it was nothing more than an inhumane conquest and forced assimilation of another
society and culture. In some schools it is taught that Christopher Columbus was on a scientific mission of
discovery, and not one of conquest, they do not focus on the reality and truth of what occurred from 1492 and
continues to have a rippling effect still today with so many indigenous Homo sapiens throughout the world.
Theodora Kroeber wrote,
“We have been taught to regard with pride the courage and ingenuity of these ancestors, their stubbornness in carving out a
good life for their children. It is neither meet nor needful to withdraw such affectionate respect and admiration; it is perhaps
well to remind ourselves that the best and gentlest of them did not question their right to appropriate land belonging to
someone else, if Indian- the legal phrase was “justifiable conquest.” However broad and real governmental and popular
approval was, this invasion was like the classic barbarian invasions-forced intrusion upon a settled population, and its
replacement by the intruders. Such invasions have occurred many times, and continue to occur in the history of mankind, but
also as well in the history of all forms of life; they are a part of the biological urge of each plant and animal to make or to take
a place for itself and its descendants. Invasion, then, is a necessitous act in the Darwinian sense of struggle and survival; it is
instinctive, primitive, and in itself inhumane.” (98)
And Martin Luther King Jr. reiterated this message when he wrote,
“In dealing with the ambivalence of white America, we must not overlook another form of racism that was relentlessly
pursued on American shores: the physical extermination of the American Indian. The South American example of absorbing
the indigenous Indian population was ignored in the United States, and systematic destruction of a whole people was
undertaken. The common phrase, “The only good Indian is a dead Indian,” was virtually elevated to national policy. Thus the
poisoning of the American mind was accomplished not only by acts of discrimination and exploitation but by the exaltation
of murder as an expression of the courage and initiative of the pioneer. Just as Southern culture was made to appear noble by
ignoring the cruelty of slavery, the conquest of the Indian was depicted as example of bravery and progress.” (653)
Some of the original colonist respected the indigenous and attempted to live peacefully with them, in fact the
indigenous held them in high regard. In 1635, a minister named Roger Williams defied the King of England and
sided with the indigenous, eventually prevented a massacre of the colonist in Boston. D. H. Montgomery wrote,
“Mr. Williams denied that the king had any power to give them the land, because it belonged first of all to the Indians. This
was a new and startling way of looking at things, and the colonist feared that free utterance of this king might provoke the
English sovereign to take away their charter. Roger Williams was ordered (1635) to leave the colony. Later, an attempt was
made to arrest him and send him to England. Williams escaped. It was winter and the weather was bitterly cold. The fugitive
took refuge among the Indians, who fed and sheltered him.”
“The Pequots, an Indian tribe of Connecticut, were plotting a massacre of the white settlers of that part of the country, and
were trying to stir up the Narragansetts to attack Massachusetts. Williams used his influence with the latter tribe to such good
effect that they refused to fight. Thus the exiled minister was probably the means of saving the people of Boston and
surrounding towns from the horrors of an Indian war.” (68)
In 1682, the original Quakers of Pennsylvania lived peacefully with the indigenous, with William Penn creating
a treaty which Voltaire described as, “The only treaty which was never sworn to, and never broken.” D. H.
Montgomery wrote,
“According to tradition he met the Red Men under the branches of a wide-spreading elm in what was then the vicinity of
Philadelphia. There solemn promises of mutual friendship were made. In accordance however, with the principles of the
Quaker faith, no oaths were taken. Each trusted the other's simple word. That treaty was “never broken,” and for sixty years,
or as long as the Quakers held control, the people of Pennsylvania lived at peace with the natives.” (69)
So, there was a brief period in American history when some of the colonist coexisted with the indigenous, and
these colonists wanted a simple peaceful lifestyle, living in harmony with nature like the indigenous and to be
unmolested by the tyrants they fled from in Europe. But as further history shows, eventually more pervasive
tyrannical greedy colonist with unwarranted fear and hostility towards the indigenous prevailed, and forced
assimilation was inevitable. The treaties from this point were meaningless and most often broken by the colonist,
and yet, even still, in spite of all the death and destruction, many indigenous still assisted the Europeans, saving
their lives in many instances from starvation and other aggressive indigenous, hospitably welcoming them into
their lands. Even to this day, most indigenous do not harbor anger, perhaps sadness, as they still attempt to
coexist with the descendants of their conquerors.
The Maya did not see the Spanish conquistadors as friends or as a new and improved future, to the contrary they
in fact saw it as a vice, and as the beginning of the end to their culture and lifestyle. The conquerors destroyed
the Maya and introduced many negative societal elements which were previously unknown to them. J. Eric
Thompson describes the first-hand account of a Mayan scribe regarding the Spanish Conquest in writing,
“Of the changes resulting from the Spanish Conquest the Maya Scribe writes: Before the coming of the mighty men and
Spaniards there was no robbery by violence, there was no greed, and striking down one's fellow man in his blood, at the cost
of the poor man, at the expense of the food of each and everyone. [And elsewhere] It was the beginning of tribute, the
beginning of church dues, the beginning of strife with purse snatching, the beginning of strife with guns, the beginning of
strife by trampling of people, the beginning of robbery with violence, the beginning of debts enforced by false testimony, the
beginning of individual strife, a beginning of vexation.” (27)
Most today have never even heard of Ishi, nor the millions of other indigenous Homo sapiens the world over
who were slaughtered and victimized during the Caucasian invasions. Ishi has long since been forgotten by most
and is just another footnote in the too often overlooked censored history of America and the genocide of
indigenous Homo sapiens by the Europeans. Ishi was a Yahi from California, and the last free indigenous to be
forcibly assimilated into the American society, although there may have been others who hid and were never
known about, living out their days in the wilds of nature alone. The Yahi were indigenous Homo sapiens that,
like so many other indigenous throughout the world, had a connection with nature and the utmost respect for it,
along with a strong moral character. Theodora Kroeber described them as,
“Indians who knew their land, its bounteousness, its varies beauty, its fragility. Who used it well, benefiting man, leaving
unraped, its animals, plants, trees, Earth, streams, beaches, ocean. Whose way was, one of reason, contentment, Self-
knowledge.”
“The California Indian was, in other words, a true provincial. He was an introvert, reserved, contemplative, and philosophical.
He lived at ease with the supernatural and the mystical which were pervasive in all aspects of life. He felt no need to
differentiate mystical truth from directly evidential or “material” truth, or the supernatural from the natural: one was as
manifest as the other within his system of values and perceptions and beliefs. The promoter, the boaster, the aggressor, the
egoist, the innovator, would have been looked at askance. The ideal was the man of restraint, dignity, rectitude, he of the
Middle Way.” (91)
In August 1911, Ishi with his hair burned short as a sign of mourning, walked out of the wild and into Oroville,
California where he was promptly locked up in the jail for the insane. Anthropologists from the University of
California heard of the incident, and they took Ishi back to the University where he lived for the remaining four
years and seven months of his life, eventually dying of tuberculosis. Hence, in the end he finally succumbed like
so many other indigenous before him, dying as a result of a disease brought by the invaders. During his sojourn
at the museum he was studied and demonstrated his skills of arrowhead making, bow stringing, and fire starting
on Sunday afternoons for public audiences, and was basically used as a living museum piece while also working
as a janitorial assistant at the museum to earn a very modest income. (93)
A better fate perhaps than some of his fellow tribe members who were ambushed and murdered in cold blood
while they lay asleep, or others which were rounded up to be put on a government reservation and died during
the process, or even the fate of the millions of other indigenous Homo sapiens who were raped and/or murdered
by the ruthless and barbaric conquerors. Theodora Kroeber described detailed several such incidents when she
wrote,
“It was the early 'sixties that the whole white population of the Sacramento Valley was in an uproar of rage and fear over the
murder for five white children by hill Indians-probably Yahi. But the soberly estimated numbers of kidnappings of Indian
children by whites in California to be sold as slaves or kept as cheap help was, between the years 1852 and 1867, from three
to four thousand', every Indian woman, girl, and girl-child was potentially and in thousands of cases actually subject to
repeated rape, to kidnapping, and to prostitution. Prostitution was unknown to aboriginal California, as were the venereal
diseases which accounted for from forty to as high as eighty percent of Indian deaths during the first twenty years following
the gold rush.”
“In the company of these first comers were the inevitable trigger-happy few whose habit had become to shoot an Indian, any
Indian, on sight; who counted coup under the slogan, The only good Indian is a dead Indian,” and who were possessed of a
the special skill of scalping, something previously unknown to California's aborigines. There was one such of whom
Waterman writes: “On good authority I can report the case of an old prospector-pioneer-miner-trapper of this region [Butte
County], who had on his bed even in recent years a blanket lined with Indian scalps. These had been taken years before. He
had never been a government scout, soldier, or officer of the law. The Indians he had killed purely on his own account. No
reckoning was at any time demanded of him.””
“Forced migrations account for some hundred of Yana deaths; but death by shooting and particularly by mass-murder
shooting interspersed with hangings were the usual and popular techniques of extermination.”
“A Captain Starr escorted the Indians on their march. He left Chico with four hundred and sixty-one Indians, and arrived at
Round Valley with two hundred and seventy-seven. Two were unaccounted for; thirty-two died on the march; and a hundred
and fifty were left sick along the trail to be brought in later if they should recover enough to continue the trip. Those Indians
who did recover returned home, some reaching Chico ahead of the troops. Of those who were taken all the way to Round
Valley little is known. The War Records quote one general as saying that it was impossible to keep Indians on a reservation.”
“There was one young Yana woman, unusually popular with the white people who knew and employed her, who was dragged
by force out of the white man's home where she lived. Her old aunt and uncle who were there with her were also taken, and
the three of them pumped full of bullets on the spot. Curtin's informant had counted eleven bullet holes in the breast of the
young woman. The man who killed her, and who was well “likkered up,” was not satisfied. “I don't think that squaw is dead
yet,” he is reported as saying. To make sure, he smashed in her skull with his revolver.”
“Waiting only until there was light enough for his men to see where they were shooting, Anderson directed a continuous
stream of gunfire down from above onto the sleeping village. As he had surmised, the ahi ran downstream making for the
open ford which brought them under Good's fire from below. The terrified Indians leapt into Mill Creek, but the rapid current
was a sorry protection. They became targets there for Good's fun, and Mill Creek ran red with the blood of its people.
Anderson reported that “many dead bodies floated down the rapid current.. .A few Yahi escaped, the small child Ishi and his
mother among them.” (97)
Smallpox was intentionally spread among the indigenous Homo sapiens of the Americas in 1763 via blankets
given as a gift causing a pandemic among the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes tribes and ultimately led to 500,000
to 1,500,000 deaths. No one will ever know the exact number of indigenous Homo sapiens around the world that
died, either slaughtered by the direct hand of the conquerors, by the diseases brought with them, or as a result of
the forced assimilation which followed. Like all genocides throughout history no one will ever know the exact
total, was it 25,000,000 or 50,000,000 or 100,000,000 or perhaps even more? When attempting to gather
statistics on the number of Yana killed, Theodora Kroeber describes the difficulty with trying to establish exact
numbers in saying,
“...for the nature of the available source material can but rarely yield exact figures. Since all the infonnation is from white
sources, and since an account of an Indian murder of a white was more acceptable copy than the reverse event, any
inaccuracy in ration will minimize the extent of the disproportion. ..the accounts say “several,” “many,” “a few”- not exact
numbers which yield exact totals, not to mention those deaths of which no formal record survives.” (655)
Even recent attempts by governments to assimilate indigenous Homo sapiens has been brutal, like the ‘Sixties
Scoop ’ between the 1960s and the late 1980s in which the Canadian government took an estimated 20,000
Aboriginal children from their families and placed them in foster homes. Or the similar action taken by
Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions between 1905 and 1969 towards the
children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descendants who were removed from their families,
and later known as the ‘Stolen Generation This forced assimilation of another race and subsequent elimination
of an entire culture stems from nothing more than ideology and has been used to justify all forms of tyranny in
the past and even the present. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote,
"Ideology — that is what gives evildoing its long-sought justification and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and
determination. That is the social theory which helps to make his acts seem good instead of bad in his own and others' eyes, so
that he won't hear reproaches and curses but will receive praise and honors. That was how the agents of the Inquisition
fortified their wills: by invoking Christianity; the conquerors of foreign lands, by extolling the grandeur of their Motherland;
the colonizers, by civilization; the Nazis, by race; and the Jacobins (early and late), by equality, brotherhood, and the
happiness of future generations.
Thanks to ideology, the twentieth century was fated to experience evildoing on a scale calculated in the millions. This cannot
be denied, nor passed over, nor suppressed. How, then, do we dare insist that evildoers do not exist? And who was it that
destroyed these millions? Without evildoers there would have been no Archipelago." (684)
Many Americans have no real conception of the genocide which took place, they are blinded to reality by
‘Cowboys and Indians ’ entertainment presented in western books, TV, and movies resulting in a Gunsmoke,
Lone Ranger, John Wayne type mentality viewing the indigenous as savages out to kill women and children.
Others give only slight recognition to the historical facts being dismissive and brushing it off as a mistake that
cannot be undone, or they erroneously believe that it has been corrected. Some think that now all indigenous
Homo sapiens in the United States live a great life on a reservation somewhere, that they are free and
independent of the United States government, that they have great wealth from casinos and mineral rights, when
in reality it is the exact opposite. Since 1831 in the United States, the U.S. government has acted as the trustee of
indigenous Homo sapiens affairs, with their lands being owned and managed by the U.S. government and nearly
every aspect of economic development being controlled by federal agencies. Most Americans have shunned the
indigenous Homo sapiens in the United States and have no idea of the poverty-stricken state some of them live
in, or that they have extremely higher rates of alcoholism and suicide. Most Americans are unaware of how the
U. S. government still exploits them even today, and even fewer know about how the U.S. government has
bilked them out of $48,000,000,000 since 1887, but only compensated them $3,400,000,000 in a 1996 lawsuit.
(654). Only 4 standing U.S. presidents have visited indigenous reservations over the last 90 years. Calvin
Coolidge traveled to South Dakota’s Pine Ridge reservation in 1927, three years after he signed the Indian
Citizenship Act that granted some indigenous American citizenship. Franklin Roosevelt visited North Carolina’s
Cherokee Nation in 1936, then in 1999, Bill Clinton also visited Pine Ridge reservation, and in June 2014
Barack Obama visited Standing Rock reservation. Why do so few U.S. Presidents visit indigenous reservations?
Even today there are prominent symbols of racism based on the past and the misconception about all indigenous
Homo sapiens being great warriors and wanting to fight. In 1937, the Boston Braves moved to Washington D.C.
and were renamed the Washington Redskins, and this racist name is still used today contrary to major opposition.
Flow can such a racist name symbolize the football team which is representing the nation’s capital? As of 2017,
there were 2,129 mascots for high school, college, and pro teams that reference Braves, Chiefs, Indians,
Orangemen, Raiders, Redmen, Reds, Redskins, Savages, Squaws, Tribe and Warriors, Apaches, Arapahoe,
Aztecs, Cherokees, Chickasaws, Chinooks, Chippewas, Choctaws, Comanches, Eskimos, Mohawks, Mohicans,
Seminoles, Sioux, and Utes. (317)
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SOURCE: National Library of Medicine / TOXMAP - Brown shaded areas are Native Lands - Although the entire continent
of North America was once land inhabited by and belonging to indigenous Homo sapiens, currently very little remains in the
United States. - https://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/
In the United States, indigenous Homo sapiens also still struggle with many social and economic issues.
Diabetes, cancer, heart disease, poor dental health, infectious disease, alcohol and substance abuse, domestic and
community violence, and mental illness are all prominent afflictions within the indigenous Homo sapiens
population of the United States. Even in today’s modem and thriving American society some indigenous Homo
sapiens do not have access to adequate housing, sanitation, health care, food, education, and other necessities
which are available to most all other United States citizens. How can indigenous Homo sapiens in the United
States be lacking so many basic necessities in a nation which has such abundant resources? The U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights 2003 report, ‘A Quiet Crisis Federal Funding and Unmet Needs in Indian Country
concluded,
"The federal government’s failure to avail Native Americans of services and programs available to other Americans violates
their civil rights. This report demonstrates that funding for services critical to Native Americans — including health care, law
enforcement, and education — is disproportionately lower than funding for services to other populations. For example, the
federal government’s rate of spending on health care for Native Americans is 50 percent less than for prisoners or Medicaid
recipients, and 60 percent less than is spent annually on health care for the average American. Underfunding violates the
basic tenets of the trust relationship between the government and Native peoples and perpetuates a civil rights crisis in Indian
Country.
For more than 40 years, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has documented the dismal conditions in Native communities.
Sadly, conditions in Indian Country are current -day reflections of some of the Commission’s earliest works, despite continued
funding and promises to improve. To what degree the federal government has failed to live up to its obligations and the
implications of that failure are questions to which the Commission now addresses itself. In every area reviewed — health,
housing, law enforcement, education, food distribution — funding and services are inadequate, as they have been historically.
Some observers have labeled the economic condition in Indian Country “termination by funding cuts, ”28 as funding has so
severely limited the ability of tribal governments to provide the services needed to sustain life on reservations."
“According to members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, roughly 90,000 Indian families are homeless or under¬
housed; more than 30 percent of reservation households are crowded; 18 percent are severely crowded; and one in five Indian
houses lacks complete plumbing facilities. Roughly percent of Native American homes are without telephones, while only 6
percent of non-Native households lack telephone service. Some Native American communities lack even the infrastructure
for telephone installation, hampering basic communication. Overall, approximately 40 percent of on-reservation housing is
considered inadequate as compared with roughly 6 percent nationwide. For Native Hawaiians, the situation is even more dire:
36 percent of homes are overcrowded, and 49 percent of Native Hawaiians experience housing problems. Regional variations
exist and are associated with geographic isolation, proximity to urban economies, and private ownership of land. For
example, in Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico, the rate of overcrowding and substandard housing is more than 60 percent.
Basic housing provisions that are taken for granted elsewhere in the nation are often absent on reservations. For example,
fewer than 50 percent of homes on reservations are connected to a public sewer system. Twenty percent of homes must resort
to other means of sewage disposal, often resulting in “honeybucket” methods in which household waste and sewage are
collected into large receptacles that are later dumped into lagoons beyond the boundaries of the village or tribe. Settlements
that use this system often suffer serious contamination and severe bacterial and viral infection from the waste and sewage
washing back into the communities after heavy rainfall; this system also results in the poisoning of crops.”
“Another significant role of IHS is the construction and maintenance of sanitation facilities, including water supplies, sewage
disposal, and solid waste sites, in individual homes and communities. Adequate sanitation facilities play a large role in
disease prevention. Currently, however, approximately 21,500 Native American homes (nearly 8 percent) lack safe water. In
comparison, the same is true for 1 percent of all U.S. homes.”
“In addition to being the victims of crime more often, Native Americans are also overrepresented in jails and prisons.
American Indians are incarcerated at a rate 38 percent higher than the national per capita rate. Alaska Natives are incarcerated
at nearly twice the rate of their representation in the state population. The number of Native American youth in the federal
prison system has increased 50 percent since 1994. Many Native Americans attribute disproportionate incarceration rates to
unfair treatment by the criminal justice system, including racial profiling, disparities in prosecution, and lack of access to
legal representation. Because of burgeoning crime and lack of prevention programs, jails in Indian Country regularly operate
beyond capacity. In 2001, the 10 largest jails were at 142 percent capacity, and nearly a third of all tribal facilities were
operating above 150 percent capacity. According to a DOJ study, in some Native jails resources are so scarce that inmates do
not have blankets, mattresses, or basic hygiene items, such as soap and toothpaste.”
"Unemployment and poverty have continuously plagued the vast majority of Native American communities. On some
reservations, unemployment levels have reached 85 percent. According to the 2000 census, average unemployment on
reservations is 13.6 percent, more than twice the national rate. Likewise, 31.2 percent of reservation inhabitants live in
poverty, and the national poverty rate for Native Americans is 24.5 percent. 1 3 By contrast, the national poverty rate in the
United States between 1999 and 2001 was 11.6 percent. Having reached crisis proportions, disparities in impoverishment and
unemployment offer further evidence of the federal government’s failure to protect the rights of and promote equal
opportunities for Native Americans."
"Native Americans suffer food insecurity and hunger at twice the rate of the general population. USD A found that from 1995
to 1997, 22.2 percent of Native American households were food insecure, meaning they did not have enough food to meet
even their basic needs. In fact, the situation was so severe that USDA determined that from 1995 to 1997, one or more
members of these households suffered from moderate to severe hunger, with 8.6 percent of households experiencing both
food insecurity and hunger." (585)
For the last 500 years indigenous Homo sapiens throughout the world have been victims of modern society’s
forced assimilation, which is nothing more than a continuous disintegration and extinction of cultures still
ongoing in some parts of the world. To see the continuous struggle for land, justice, and equality which so many
indigenous Homo sapiens face one need only watch Nettie Wild's 1998 documentary 'A Place Called Chiapas'.
Poverty, alcoholism, rape, malnutrition, suicide, disease, violence and brutality, imprisonment, and other issues
affect many of the more than 370,000,000 indigenous Homo sapiens throughout the world. In 2010, the first ever
United Nations publication on the state of the world’s indigenous Homo sapiens was released, it stated,
"In the United States, a Native American is 600 times more likely to contract tuberculosis and 62 per cent more likely to
commit suicide than the general population."
"While indigenous peoples make up around 370 million of the world’s population - some 5 per cent - they constitute around
one-third of the world’s 900 million extremely poor rural people. Every day, indigenous communities allover the world face
issues of violence and brutality, continuing assimilation policies, dispossession of land, marginalization, forced removal or
relocation, denial of land rights, impacts of large-scale development, abuses by military forces and a host of other abuses.:
"Indigenous peoples experience disproportionately high levels of maternal and infant mortality, malnutrition, cardiovascular
illnesses, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis."
"Suicide rates of indigenous peoples, particularly among youth, are considerably higher in many countries, for example, up to
11 times the national average for the Inuit in Canada."
"Indigenous peoples account for most of the world’s cultural diversity. Throughout the world, there are approximately 370
million indigenous peoples occupying 20 per cent of the earth’s territory. It is also estimated that they represent as many as
5,000 different indigenous cultures. The indigenous peoples of the world therefore account for most of the world’s cultural
diversity, even though they constitute a numerical minority."
"Violence, forced assimilation, abuse. Despite all the positive developments in international human rights standard-setting,
indigenous peoples continue to face serious human rights abuses on a day-to-day basis. Issues of violence and brutality,
continuing assimilation policies, marginalization, dispossession of land, forced removal or relocation, denial of land rights,
impacts of large-scale development, abuses by military forces and armed conflict, and a host of other abuses, are a reality for
indigenous communities around the world. Examples of violence and brutality have been heard from every comer of the
world, most often perpetrated against indigenous persons who are defending their rights and their lands, territories and
communities.
Violence against women. An indigenous woman is more likely to be raped, with some estimates showing that more than one
in three indigenous women are raped during their lifetime.
Systemic racism. Indigenous peoples frequently raise concerns about systemic discrimination and outright racism from the
State and its authorities. This discrimination manifests itself in a number of ways such as frequent and unnecessary
questioning by the police, condescending attitudes of teachers to students or rudeness from a receptionist in a government
office. At their most extreme, these forms of discrimination lead to gross violations of human rights, such as murder, rape and
other fonns of violence or intimidation. These forms of discrimination are often either difficult to quantify and verify or are
simply not documented by the authorities, or not disaggregated based on ethnicity."
"Despite some progress, little change. Despite efforts over the last 40 years to improve conditions and to increase recognition
of indigenous rights through law and policy, litigation, national dialogue and enhanced leadership opportunities, full
accommodation of indigenous rights remains elusive."
"There are around 300,000 Forest Peoples - also referred to as “Pygmies” or “Batwa” - in the Central African rainforest.
These peoples are now facing unprecedented pressures on their lands, forest resources and societies, as forests are logged,
cleared for agriculture or turned into exclusive wildlife conservation areas. They are becoming outcasts on the edge of
dominant society as they settle in villages and are increasingly dependent on the cash economy, but are unable to enjoy the
rights accorded to other citizens and are marginalized from decision-making. As these pressures intensify, Pygmy peoples are
suffering increasing poverty, racial discrimination, violence and cultural collapse. Throughout Central Africa, their traditional
way of life is disappearing, and their incomparable knowledge of the forest is being lost."
"The Maori comprise less than 15 per cent of the New Zealand population, yet account for 40 per cent of all court convictions
and half the prison population."
"Ninety per cent of the timber being extracted in the Peruvian Amazon is illegal and originates from protected areas
belonging to indigenous communities or set aside for indigenous peoples who live involuntary isolation."
"Almost a quarter of Native Americans and Alaska Natives live under the poverty line in the United States, compared to
about 12.5 per cent of the total population."
"Native Americans and Alaska Natives have higher death rates than other Americans from tuberculosis (600per cent higher),
alcoholism (510 per cent higher), motor vehicle crashes (229 per cent higher), diabetes (189per cent higher), unintentional
injuries (152 per cent higher), homicide (61 per cent higher) and suicide (62 percent higher)."
"While indigenous peoples in Canada represent only 3 per cent of the total population, they make up aroundl9 per cent of
federal prisoners." (494)
Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers
The United Nations Refugee Agency reported that in 1997 there were 33,900,000 forcibly displaced Homo
sapiens worldwide, by 2016 this number increased to 65,600,000. (672) Migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers
are forcibly displaced as a result of violence, persecution, war, natural disaster, and global warming. During their
migration or when reaching their destination country, they are too often subjected to xenophobia and racism
resulting in discrimination, and some becoming victims of violent and even deadly attacks from oppositionist
anxiously awaiting their arrival in the host country.
Contemporary Slavery
Slavery has been abolished de jure in all countries, but de facto slavery in the form of involuntary servitude,
serfdom, domestic servants held in captivity, debt bondage, sexual slavery, child soldiers, and forced marriage
still take place worldwide. The 2016 Global Slavery Index estimated that 45,800,000 Homo sapiens worldwide
are victims of some form of contemporary slavery, with 58% of them residing in either India, China, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan. 18,354,700 slaves reside in India alone, making it by far the nation with the most
contemporary slaves. (266) Additionally, there are also millions of adult laborers working in sweatshops in some
impoverished countries which lack labor laws or safety standards. These workers are exploited and made to
work long hours under horrendous conditions for extremely low wages, usually earning less than $1.00 an hour
making items which often are sold for an absurd price.
Most individuals around the world are not even aware of the trafficking and exploitation of millions of Homo
sapiens worldwide which occurs, and many politicians and governments turn a blind eye to the practice. How
can such advanced and civilized nations like: the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium,
Switzerland, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Brazil, Italy, Ireland, Spain, United Kingdom, Brazil, China, and others
allow this sort of social injustice to even occur within their own borders?
Current World Slave Trade, Trafficking of Homo sapiens , and other Exploitation of Homo sapiens
COUNTRY/REGION
DESCRIPTION
Afhaanistan
Afghanistan is a source transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to
forced labor and sex trafficking, although domestic trafficking is more prevalent than transnational
trafficking; Afghan men are subjected to forced labor and debt bondage in Iran, Pakistan, Greece,
Turkey, and the Gulf states; Afghan women and girls are forced into prostitution and domestic
servitude in Pakistan, Iran, and India, while women and girls from the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran
Tajikistan, and China are reportedly sexually exploited in Afghanistan; children are increasingly
subjected to forced labor in carpet-making factories, domestic servitude, forced begging, and
commercial sexual exploitation; some children are sold to settle debts.
Albania
Albania is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced
labor; Albanian victims of sexual exploitation are trafficked within Albania and in Greece, Italy
Macedonia, Kosovo, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, and the UK; some
Albanian women become sex trafficking victims after accepting offers of legitimate jobs; Albanian
children are forced to beg orperfonn other forms of forced labor; Filipino victims of labor trafficking
were identified in Albania during 2012.
Algeria
Algeria is a transit and, to a lesser extent, a destination and source country for women subjected to
forced labor and sex trafficking and, to a lesser extent, men subjected to forced labor; criminal
networks, sometimes extending to sub-Saharan Africa and to Europe, are involved in human
smuggling and trafficking in Algeria; sub-Saharan adults enter Algeria voluntarily but illegally, often
with the aid of smugglers, for onward travel to Europe, but some of the women are forced into
prostitution, domestic service, and begging; some sub-Saharan men, mostly from Mali, are forced into
domestic servitude; some Algerian women and children are also forced into prostitution domestically.
Angola
Angola is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking
and forced labor in agriculture, construction, domestic service, and diamond mines; some Angolan
girls are forced into domestic prostitution into domestic prostitution, while some Angolan boys are
taken to Namibia as forced laborers or are forced to be cross-border couriers; women and children are
also forced into domestic service in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia,
and European countries; Vietnamese, Brazilian, and Chinese women are trafficked to Angola for
prostitution, while Chinese, Southeast Asian, Namibian, and possibly Congolese migrants are
subjected to forced labor in Angola's construction industry.
Antigua and Barbuda
Current situation: Antigua and Barbuda is a destination and transit country for adults and children
subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; forced prostitution has been reported in bars, taverns, and
brothels, while forced labor occurs in domestic service and the retail sector.
Bahrain
Bahrain is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
unskilled and domestic workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia,
Thailand, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Eritrea migrate willingly to Bahrain, but some face
conditions of forced labor through the withholding of passports, restrictions on movement,
nonpayment, threats, and abuse; many Bahraini labor recruitment agencies and some employers charge
foreign workers exorbitant fees that make them vulnerable to forced labor and sexual exploitation
because they are not protected under labor laws; women from Thailand, the Philippines, Morocco,
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, China, Vietnam, Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern European countries are forced
into prostitution in Bahrain.
Belarus
Belarus is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex
trafficking and forced labor; more victims are exploited within Belarus than abroad; Belarusians
exploited abroad are primarily trafficked to Germany, Poland, Russian, and Turkey but also other
European countries, the Middle East, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Mexico; Moldovans, Russians,
Ukrainians, and Vietnamese are exploited in Belarus; state-sponsored forced labor is a continuing
problem; students are forced to do farm labor without pay and military conscripts are forced to
perform unpaid non-military work; the government has retained a decree forbidding workers in state-
owned wood processing factories from leaving their jobs without their employers’ permission.
Belize
Belize is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; the coerced prostitution of women and children by family members has not
led to arrests; child sex tourism, involving primarily US citizens, is on the rise; sex trafficking and
forced labor of Belizean and foreign women and LGBT individuals occurs in bars, nightclubs,
brothels, and domestic service; workers from Central America, Mexico, and Asia may fall victim to
forced labor in restaurants, shops, agriculture, and fishing.
Bolivia
Bolivia is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking
domestically and abroad; indigenous children are particularly vulnerable; Bolivia is a source country
for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking domestically and abroad;
rural and poor Bolivians, most of whom are indigenous, and LGBT youth are particularly vulnerable;
Bolivians perform forced labor domestically in mining, ranching, agriculture, and domestic service,
and a significant number are in forced labor abroad in sweatshops, agriculture, domestic service, and
the infonnal sector; women and girls are sex trafficked within Bolivia and in neighboring countries,
such as Argentina, Peru, and Chile; a limited number of women from nearby countries are sex
trafficked in Bolivia.
Botswana
Botswana is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to sex
trafficking and forced labor; young Batswana serving as domestic workers, sometimes sent by their
parents, may be denied education and basic necessities or experience confinement and abuse indicative
of forced labor; Batswana girls and women also are forced into prostitution domestically; adults and
children of San ethnicity were reported to be in forced labor on farms and at cattle posts in the
country’s rural west.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for men, women, and
children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; Bulgaria is one of the main sources of human
trafficking in the EU; women and children are increasingly sex trafficked domestically, as well as in
Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and the US; adults and children become forced laborers in
agriculture, construction, and the service sector in Europe, Israel, and Zambia; Romanian girls are also
subjected to sex trafficking in Bulgaria.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; Burkinabe children are forced to work as farm hands, gold panners and
washers, street vendors, domestic servants, and beggars or in the commercial sex trade, with some
transported to nearby countries; to a lesser extent, Burkinabe women are recruited for legitimate jobs
in the Middle East or Europe and subsequently forced into prostitution; women from other West
African countries are also lured to Burkina Faso for work and subjected to forced prostitution, forced
labor in restaurants, or domestic servitude.
Burma
Burma is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and
for women and children subjected to sex trafficking; Burmese adult and child labor migrants travel to
East Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and the US, where men are forced to work in the fishing,
manufacturing, forestry, and construction industries and women and girls are forced into prostitution,
domestic servitude, or forced labor in the gannent sector; some Burmese economic migrants and
Rohingya asylum seekers have become forced laborers on Thai fishing boats; some military personnel
and armed ethnic groups unlawfully conscript child soldiers or coerce adults and children into forced
labor; domestically, adults and children from ethnic areas are vulnerable to forced labor on plantations
and in mines, while children may also be subject to forced prostitution, domestic service, and begging.
Burundi
Burundi is a source country for children and possibly women subjected to forced labor and sex
trafficking; business people recruit Burundian girls for prostitution domestically, as well as in Rwanda,
Kenya, Uganda, and the Middle East, and recruit boys and girls for forced labor in Burundi and
Tanzania; children and young adults are coerced into forced labor in farming, mining, informal
commerce, fishing, or collecting river stones for construction; sometimes family, friends, and
neighbors are complied in exploiting children, at times luring them in with offers of educational or job
opportunities.
Cambodia
Cambodia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to
forced labor and sex trafficking; Cambodian men, women, and children migrate to countries within the
region and, increasingly, the Middle East for legitimate work but are subjected to sex trafficking,
domestic servitude, or forced labor in fishing, agriculture, construction, and factories; Cambodian men
recruited to work on Thai-owned fishing vessels are subsequently subjected to forced labor in
international waters and are kept at sea for years; poor Cambodian children are vulnerable and, often
with the families’ complicity, are subject to forced labor, including domestic servitude and forced
begging, in Thailand and Vietnam; Cambodian and ethnic Vietnamese women and girls are trafficked
from rural areas to urban centers and tourist spots for sexual exploitation; Cambodian men are the
main exploiters of child prostitutes, but men from other Asian countries, and the West travel to
Cambodia for child sex tourism.
Central African Republic
Central African Republic (CAR) is a source, transit, and destination country for children subjected to
forced labor and sex trafficking, women subjected to forced prostitution, and adults subjected to forced
labor; most victims appear to be CAR citizens exploited within the country, with a smaller number
transported back and forth between the CAR and nearby countries; armed groups operating in the
CAR, including those aligned with the former SELEKA Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army,
continue to recruit and re-recruit children for military activities and labor; children are also subject to
domestic servitude, commercial sexual exploitation, and forced labor in agriculture, mines, shops, and
street vending; women and girls are subject to domestic servitude, sexual slavery, commercial sexual
exploitation, and forced marriage.
China
China is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex
trafficking and forced labor; Chinese adults and children are forced into prostitution and various forms
of forced labor, including begging and working in brick kilns, coal mines, and factories; women and
children are recruited from rural areas and taken to urban centers for sexual exploitation, often lured
by criminal syndicates or gangs with fraudulent job offers; state-sponsored forced labor, where
detainees work for up to four years often with no remuneration, continues to be a serious concern;
Chinese men, women, and children also may be subjected to conditions of sex trafficking and forced
labor worldwide, particularly in overseas Chinese communities; women and children are trafficked to
China from neighboring countries, as well as Africa and the Americas, for forced labor and
prostitution.
Comoros
Comoros is a source country for children subjected to forced labor and, reportedly, sex trafficking
domestically, and women and children are subjected to forced labor in Mayotte; it is possibly a transit
and destination country for Malagasy women and girls and a transit country for East African women
and girls exploited in domestic service in the Middle East; Comoran children are forced to labor in
domestic service, roadside and street vending, baking, fishing, and agriculture; some Comoran
students at Koranic schools are exploited for forced agricultural or domestic labor, sometimes being
subjected to physical and sexual abuse; Comoros may be particularly vulnerable to transnational
trafficking because of inadequate border controls, government corruption, and the presence of
international criminal networks.
The Democratic Republic of
the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a source, destination, and possibly a transit country for men,
women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; the majority of this trafficking is
internal, and much of it is perpetrated by armed groups and rogue government forces outside official
control in the country's unstable eastern provinces; Congolese adults are subjected to forced labor,
including debt bondage, in unlicensed mines, and women may be forced into prostitution; Congolese
women and girls are subjected to forced marriages where they are vulnerable to domestic servitude or
sex trafficking, while children are forced to work in agriculture, mining, mineral smuggling, vending,
portering, and begging; Congolese women and children migrate to countries in Africa, the Middle
East, and Europe where some are subjected to forced prostitution, domestic servitude, and forced labor
in agriculture and diamond mining; indigenous and foreign anned groups, including the Lord’s
Resistance Army, abduct and forcibly recruit Congolese adults and children to serve as laborers,
porters, domestics, combatants, and sex slaves; some elements of the Congolese national army
(FARDC) also forced adults to carry supplies, equipment, and looted goods, but no cases of the
FARDC recruiting child soldiers were reported in 2014 - a significant change.
The Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo is a source and destination country for children, men, and women,
subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; most trafficking victims are from Benin, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), and, to a lesser extent, other neighboring countries and are subjected to
domestic servitude and market vending by West African and Congolese nationals; adults and children,
the majority from the DRC, are also sex trafficked in Congo, mainly Brazzaville; internal trafficking
victims, often from rural areas, are exploited as domestic servants or forced to work in quarries,
bakeries, fishing, and agriculture.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex
trafficking and forced labor; Costa Rican women and children, as well as those from Nicaragua, the
Dominican Republic, and other Latin American countries, are sex trafficked in Costa Rica; child sex
tourism is a particular problem with offenders coming from the US and Europe; men and children
from Central America, including indigenous Panamanians, and Asia are exploited in agriculture,
construction, fishing, and commerce; Nicaraguans transit Costa Rica to reach Panama, where some are
subjected to forced labor or sex trafficking.
Cuba
Cuba is a source country for adults and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; child sex
trafficking and child sex tourism occur in Cuba, while some Cubans are forced into prostitution in
South America and the Caribbean; allegations have been made that some Cubans have been forced or
coerced to work at Cuban medical missions abroad; assessing the scope of trafficking within Cuba is
difficult because of the lack of information.
Djibouti
Djibouti is a transit, source, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; economic migrants from East Africa en route to Yemen and other Middle
East locations are vulnerable to exploitation in Djibouti; some women and girls may be forced into
domestic servitude or prostitution after reaching Djibouti City, the Ethiopia-Djibouti trucking corridor,
or Obock - the main crossing point into Yemen; Djiboutian and foreign children may be forced to beg,
to work as domestic servants, or to commit theft and other petty crimes.
Egypt
Egypt is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex
trafficking and forced labor; Egyptian children, including the large population of street children are
vulnerable to forced labor in domestic service, begging and agriculture or may be victims of sex
trafficking or child sex tourism, which occurs in Cairo, Alexandria, and Luxor; some Egyptian women
and girls are sold into “temporary” or “summer” marriages with Gulf men, through the complicity of
their parents or marriage brokers, and are exploited for prostitution or forced labor; Egyptian men are
subject to forced labor in neighboring countries, while adults from South and Southeast Asia and East
Africa - and increasingly Syrian refugees - are forced to work in domestic service, construction,
cleaning, and begging in Egypt; women and girls, including migrants and refugees, from Asia, sub-
Saharan Africa, and the Middle East are sex trafficked in Egypt; the Egyptian military cracked down
on criminal group’s smuggling, abducting, trafficking, and extorting African migrants in the Sinai
Peninsula, but the practice has reemerged along Egypt’s western border with Libya.
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea is a source country for children subjected to sex trafficking and destination country
for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor; Equatorial Guinean girls may be encouraged
by their parents to engage in the sex trade in urban centers to receive groceries, gifts, housing, and
money; children are also trafficked from nearby countries for work as domestic servants, market
laborers, ambulant vendors, and launderers; women are trafficked to Equatorial Guinea from
Cameroon, Benin, other neighboring countries, and China for forced labor or prostitution.
Eritrea
Eritrea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor
domestically and, to a lesser extent, sex and labor trafficking abroad; the country’s national service
program is often abused, with conscripts detained indefinitely and subjected to forced labor; Eritrean
migrants, often fleeing national service, face strict exit control procedures and limited access to
passports and visas, making them vulnerable to trafficking; Eritrean secondary school children are
required to take part in public works projects during their summer breaks and must attend military and
educational camp in their final year to obtain a high school graduation certificate and to gain access to
higher education and some jobs; some Eritreans living in or near refugee camps, particularly in Sudan,
are kidnapped by criminal groups and held for ransom in the Sinai Peninsula and Libya, where they
are subjected to forced labor and abuse.
Gabon
Gabon is primarily a destination and transit country for adults and children from West and Central
African countries subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; boys are forced to work as street
vendors, mechanics, or in the fishing sector, while girls are subjected to domestic servitude or forced
to work in markets or roadside restaurants; West African women are forced into domestic servitude or
prostitution; men are reportedly forced to work on cattle farms; some foreign adults end up in forced
labor in Gabon after initially seeking the help of human smugglers to help them migrate clandestinely;
traffickers operate in loose, ethnic -based criminal networks, with female traffickers recruiting and
facilitating the transport of victims from source countries; in some cases, families turn child victims
over to traffickers, who promise paid jobs in Gabon.
The Gambia
The Gambia is a source and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and
sex trafficking; Gambian women, girls, and, to a lesser extent, boys are exploited for prostitution and
domestic servitude; women, girls, and boys from West African countries are trafficked to The Gambia
for commercial sexual exploitation, particularly by European sex tourists; boys in some Koranic
schools are forced into street vending or begging; some Gambian children have been identified as
victims of forced labor in neighboring West African countries.
Ghana
Ghana is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; the trafficking of Ghanians, particularly children, internally is more common
than the trafficking of foreign nationals; Ghanian children are subjected to forced labor in fishing,
domestic service, street hawking, begging, portering, mining, quarrying, herding, and agriculture, with
girls, and to a lesser extent boys, forced into prostitution; Ghanian women, sometimes lured with
legitimate job offers, and girls are sex trafficked in West Africa, the Middle East, and Europe; Ghanian
men fraudulently recruited for work in the Middle East are subjected to forced labor or prostitution,
and a few Ghanian adults have been identified as victims of false labor in the US; women and girls
from Vietnam, China, and neighboring West African countries are sex trafficked in Ghana; the country
is also a transit point for sex trafficking from West Africa to Europe.
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau is a source country for children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; the extent
to which adults are trafficked for forced labor or forced prostitution is unclear; boys are forced into
street vending in Guinea-Bissau and manual labor, agriculture, and mining in Senegal, while girls may
be forced into street vending, domestic service, and, to a lesser extent, prostitution in Guinea and
Senegal; some Bissau-Guinean boys at Koranic schools are forced into begging by religious teachers.
Guinea
Guinea is a source, transit, and, to a lesser extent, a destination country for men, women, and children
subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; the majority of trafficking victims are Guinean children,
and trafficking is more prevalent among Guineans than foreign national migrants; Guinean girls are
subjected to domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation, while boys are forced to beg or to
work as street vendors, shoe shiners, or miners; Guinea is a source country and transit point for West
African children forced to work as miners in the region; Guinean women and girls are subjected to
domestic servitude and sex trafficking in West Africa, the Middle East, the US, and increasingly
Europe, while Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese women are forced into prostitution and some West
Africans are forced into domestic servitude in Guinea.
Guyana
Guyana is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking
and forced labor - children are particularly vulnerable; women and girls from Guyana, Venezuela,
Suriname, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic are forced into prostitution in Guyana’s interior mining
communities and urban areas; forced labor is reported in mining, agriculture, forestry, domestic
service, and shops; Guyanese nationals are also trafficked to Suriname, Jamaica, and other Caribbean
countries for sexual exploitation and forced labor.
Haiti
Haiti is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; most of Haiti’s trafficking cases involve children in domestic servitude
vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse; dismissed and runaway child domestic servants often end up
in prostitution, begging, or street crime; other exploited populations included low-income Haitians,
child laborers, and women and children living in IDP camps dating to the 2010 earthquake; Haitian
adults are vulnerable to fraudulent labor recruitment abroad and, along with children, may be subjected
to forced labor in the Dominican Republic, elsewhere in the Caribbean, South America, and the US;
Dominicans are exploited in sex trafficking and forced labor in Haiti.
Iran
Iran is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex
trafficking and forced labor; organized groups sex traffic Iranian women and children in Iran and to the
UAE and Europe; the transport of girls from and through Iran en route to the Gulf for sexual
exploitation or forced marriages is on the rise; Iranian children are also forced to work as beggars,
street vendors, and in domestic workshops; Afghan boys forced to work in construction or agriculture
are vulnerable to sexual abuse by their employers; Pakistani and Afghan migrants being smuggled to
Europe often are subjected to forced labor, including debt bondage.
Jamaica
Jamaica is a source and destination country for children and adults subjected to sex trafficking and
forced labor; sex trafficking of children and adults occurs on the street, in night clubs, bars, massage
parlors, and private homes; child sex tourism is a problem in resort areas; Jamaicans have been
subjected to sexual exploitation or forced labor in the Caribbean, Canada, the US, and the UK, while
foreigners have endured conditions of forced labor in Jamaica or aboard foreign-flagged fishing
vessels operating in Jamaican waters; a high number of Jamaican children are reported missing.
North Korea
North Korea is a source country for men, women, and children who are subjected to forced labor and
sex trafficking; many North Korean workers recruited to work abroad under bilateral contracts with
foreign governments, most often Russia and China, are subjected to forced labor and do not have a
choice in the work the government assigns them, are not free to change jobs, and face government
reprisals if they try to escape or complain to outsiders; tens of thousands of North Koreans, including
children, held in prison camps are subjected to forced labor, including logging, mining, and farming;
many North Korean women and girls, lured by promises of food, jobs, and freedom, have migrated to
China illegally to escape poor social and economic conditions only to be forced into prostitution,
domestic service, or agricultural work through forced marriages.
Kuwait
Kuwait is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and, to a lesser degree,
forced prostitution; men and women migrate from South and Southeast Asia, Egypt, the Middle East,
and increasingly Africa to work in Kuwait, most of them in the domestic service, construction, and
sanitation sectors; although most of these migrants enter Kuwait voluntarily, upon arrival some are
subjected to conditions of forced labor by their sponsors and labor agents, including debt bondage;
Kuwait’s sponsorship law restricts workers’ movements and penalizes them for running away from
abusive workplaces, making domestic workers particularly vulnerable to forced labor in private
homes.
Laos
Laos is a source and, to a lesser extent, transit and destination country for men, women, and children
subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; Lao economic migrants may encounter conditions of
forced labor or sexual exploitation in destination countries, most often Thailand; Lao women and girls
are exploited in Thailand’s commercial sex trade, domestic service, factories, and agriculture; a small,
possibly growing, number of Lao women and girls are sold as brides in China and South Korea and
subsequently sex trafficked; Lao men and boys are victims of forced labor in the Thai fishing,
construction, and agriculture industries; some Lao children, as well as Vietnamese and Chinese women
and girls, are subjected to sex trafficking in Laos; other Vietnamese and Chinese, and possibly
Burmese, adults and girls transit Laos for sexual and labor exploitation in neighboring countries,
particularly Thailand.
Lebanon
Lebanon is a source and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex
trafficking and a transit point for Eastern European women and children subjected to sex trafficking in
other Middle Eastern countries; women and girls from South and Southeast Asia and an increasing
number from East and West Africa are recruited by agencies to work in domestic service but are
subject to conditions of forced labor; under Lebanon’s artiste visa program, women from Eastern
Europe, North Africa, and the Dominican Republic enter Lebanon to work in the adult entertainment
industry but are often forced into the sex trade; Lebanese children are reportedly forced into street
begging and commercial sexual exploitation, with small numbers of Lebanese girls sex trafficked in
other Arab countries; Syrian refugees are vulnerable to forced labor and prostitution.
Lesotho
Lesotho is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor
and sex trafficking and for men subjected to forced labor; in Lesotho and South Africa, Basotho
women and children are subjected to domestic servitude, and Basotho children increasingly endure
commercial sexual exploitation; some Basotho men who voluntarily migrate to South Africa for work
become victims of forced labor in agriculture and mining or are coerced into committing crimes;
foreign nationals continue to traffic fellow citizens in Lesotho.
Libya
Libya is a destination and transit country for men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia
subjected to forced labor and forced prostitution; migrants who seek employment in Libya as laborers
and domestic workers or who transit Libya en route to Europe are vulnerable to forced labor; private
employers also exploit migrants from detention centers as forced laborers on farms and construction
sites, returning them to detention when they are no longer needed; some sub-Saharan women are
reportedly forced to work in Libyan brothels, particularly in the country’s south; since 2013, militia
groups and other infonnal armed groups, including some affiliated with the government, are reported
to conscript Libyan children under the age of 18; large-scale violence driven by militias, civil unrest,
and increased lawlessness increased in 2014, making it more difficult to obtain information on human
trafficking.
Malaysia
Malaysia is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for men, women, and
children subjected to forced labor and women and children subjected to sex trafficking; Malaysia is
mainly a destination country for foreign workers who migrate willingly from countries, including
Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Nepal, Burma, and other Southeast Asian countries, but
subsequently encounter forced labor or debt bondage in agriculture, construction, factories, and
domestic service at the hands of employers, employment agents, and labor recruiters; women from
Southeast Asia and, to a much lesser extent, Africa, are recruited for legal work in restaurants, hotels,
and salons but are forced into prostitution; refugees, including Rohingya adults and children, are not
legally permitted to work and are vulnerable to trafficking; a small number of Malaysians are
trafficked internally and subjected to sex trafficking abroad.
Maldives
Maldives is a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex
trafficking and a source country for women and children subjected to labor and sex trafficking;
primarily Bangladeshi and Indian migrants working both legally and illegally in the construction and
service sectors face conditions of forced labor, including fraudulent recruitment, confiscation of
identity and travel documents, nonpayment and withholding of wages, and debt bondage; a small
number of women from Asia, Eastern Europe, and former Soviet states are trafficked to Maldives for
sexual exploitation; Maldivian women may be subjected to sex trafficking domestically or in Sri
Lanka; some Maldivian children are transported to the capital for domestic service, where they may
also be victims of sexual abuse and forced labor.
Mali
Mali is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; internal trafficking is more prevalent than transnational trafficking, but
foreign women and girls are forced into domestic servitude, agricultural labor, and support roles in
gold mines, as well as subjected to sex trafficking; Malian boys are forced to work in agricultural
settings, gold mines, the informal commercial sector and to beg within Mali and neighboring
countries; Malians and other Africans who travel through Mali to Mauritania, Algeria, or Libya in
hopes of reaching Europe are particularly at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking; men and
boys, primarily of Songhai ethnicity, are subjected to debt bondage in the salt mines of Taoudenni in
northern Mali; some members of Mali's Tamachek community are subjected to hereditary slavery-
related practices; Malian women and girls are victims of sex trafficking in Gabon, Libya, Lebanon,
and Tunisia; the recruitment of child soldiers by armed groups in northern Mali decreased.
The Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands is a source and destination country for Marshallese women and girls and women
from East Asia subjected to sex trafficking; Marshallese and foreign women are forced into
prostitution in businesses frequented by crew members of fishing and transshipping vessels that dock
in Majuro; some Chinese women are recruited to the Marshall Islands with promises of legitimate
work and are subsequently forced into prostitution.
Mauritania
Mauritania is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor
and sex trafficking; adults and children from traditional slave castes are subjected to slavery-related
practices rooted in ancestral master-slave relationships; Mauritanian boy students called talibes are
trafficked within the country by religious teachers for forced begging; Mauritanian girls, as well as
girls from Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, and other West African countries, are forced into domestic
servitude; Mauritanian women and girls are forced into prostitution domestically or transported to
countries in the Middle East for the same purpose, sometimes through forced marriages.
Mauritius
Mauritius is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to
forced labor and sex trafficking; Mauritian girls are induced or sold into prostitution, often by peers,
family members, or businessmen offering other forms of employment; Mauritian adults have been
identified as labor trafficking victims in the UK, Belgium, and Canada, while Mauritian women from
Rodrigues Island are also subject to domestic servitude in Mauritius; Malagasy women transit
Mauritius en route to the Middle East for jobs as domestic servants and subsequently are subjected to
forced labor; Cambodian men are victims of forced labor on foreign fishing vessels in Mauritius’
territorial waters; other migrant workers from East and South Asia and Madagascar are also subject to
forced labor in Mauritius’ manufacturing and construction sectors.
Namibia
Namibia is a country of origin and destination for children and, to a lesser extent, women subjected to
forced labor and sex trafficking; victims, lured by promises of legitimate jobs, are forced to work in
urban centers and on commercial farms; traffickers exploit Namibian children, as well as children from
Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, for forced labor in agriculture, cattle herding, domestic service,
fishing, and street vending; children are also forced into prostitution, often catering to tourists from
southern Africa and Europe; San and Zemba children are particularly vulnerable; foreign adults and
Namibian adults and children are reportedly subjected to forced labor in Chinese-owned retail,
construction, and fishing operations.
Pakistan
Pakistan is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; the largest human trafficking problem is bonded labor in agriculture,
brickmaking and, to a lesser extent, fishing, mining and carpet-making; children are bought, sold,
rented, and placed in forced begging rings, domestic service, small shops, brick-making factories, or
prostitution; militant groups also force children to spy, fight, or die as suicide bombers, kidnapping the
children or getting them from poor parents through sale or coercion; women and girls are forced into
prostitution or marriages; Pakistani adults migrate to the Gulf States and African and European states
for low-skilled jobs and sometimes become victims of forced labor, debt bondage, or prostitution;
foreign adults and children, particularly from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, may be subject
to forced labor, and foreign women may be sex trafficked in Pakistan, with refugees and ethnic
minorities being most vulnerable.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex
trafficking and forced labor; foreign and Papua New Guinean women and children are subjected to sex
trafficking, domestic servitude, forced begging, and street vending; parents may sell girls into forced
marriages to settle debts or as peace offerings or trade them to another tribe to forge a political
alliance, leaving them vulnerable to forced domestic service, or, in urban areas, they may prostitute
their children for income or to pay school fees; Chinese, Malaysian, and local men are forced to labor
in logging and mining camps through debt bondage schemes; migrant women from Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand, China, and the Philippines are subjected to sex trafficking and domestic servitude
at logging and mining camps, fisheries, and entertainment sites.
Qatar
Qatar is a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor, and, to a much
lesser extent, forced prostitution; the predominantly foreign workforce migrates to Qatar legally for
low- and semi-skilled work but often experiences situations of forced labor, including debt bondage,
delayed or nonpayment of salaries, confiscation of passports, abuse, hazardous working conditions,
and squalid living arrangements; foreign female domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to
trafficking because of their isolation in private homes and lack of protection under Qatari labor laws;
some women who migrate for work are also forced into prostitution.
Russia
Russia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children who are subjected to
forced labor and sex trafficking; with millions of foreign workers, forced labor is Russia’s
predominant human trafficking problem and sometimes involves organized crime syndicates; workers
from Russia, other European countries, Central Asia, and East and Southeast Asia, including North
Korea and Vietnam, are subjected to forced labor in the construction, manufacturing, agricultural,
textile, grocery store, maritime, and domestic service industries, as well as in forced begging, waste
sorting, and street sweeping; women and children from Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central
Asia are subject to sex trafficking in Russia; Russian women and children are victims of sex
trafficking domestically and in Northeast Asia, Europe, Central Asia, Africa, the US, and the Middle
East.
Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and
children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; some children under 18 are pressured to engage
in sex acts in exchange for money or gifts; foreign workers may experience forced labor and are
particularly vulnerable when employed by small, foreign-owned companies; adults and children are
vulnerable to forced labor domestically, especially in the agriculture sector.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and, to a lesser
extent, forced prostitution; men and women from South and East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa
who voluntarily travel to Saudi Arabia as domestic servants or low-skilled laborers subsequently face
conditions of involuntary servitude, including nonpayment and withholding of passports; some
migrant workers are forced to work indefinitely beyond the tenn of their contract because their
employers will not grant them a required exit visa; female domestic workers are particularly
vulnerable because of their isolation in private homes; women, primarily from Asian and African
countries, are believed to be forced into prostitution in Saudi Arabia, while other foreign women were
reportedly kidnapped and forced into prostitution after running away from abusive employers; children
from South Asia, East Africa, and Yemen are subjected to forced labor as beggars and street vendors in
Saudi Arabia, facilitated by criminal gangs.
The Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands is a source and destination country for local adults and children and Southeast
Asian men and women subjected to forced labor and forced prostitution; women from China,
Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines are recruited for legitimate work and upon arrival are forced
into prostitution; men from Indonesia and Malaysia recruited to work in the Solomon Islands’ mining
and logging industries may be subjected to forced labor; local children are forced into prostitution near
foreign logging camps, on fishing vessels, at hotels, and entertainment venues; some local children are
also sold by their parents for marriage to foreign workers or put up for “informal adoption” to pay off
debts and then find themselves forced into domestic servitude or forced prostitution.
South Sudan
South Sudan is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; South Sudanese women and girls, particularly those who are internally
displaced, orphaned, refugees, or from rural areas, are vulnerable to forced labor and sexual
exploitation, often in urban centers; children may be victims of forced labor in construction, market
vending, shoe shining, car washing, rock breaking, brick making, delivery cart pulling, and begging;
girls are also forced into marriages and subsequently subjected to sexual slavery or domestic servitude;
women and girls migrate willingly from Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo to South Sudan with the promise of legitimate jobs and are forced into the sex
trade; inter-ethnic abductions and abductions by criminal groups continue, with abductees
subsequently forced into domestic servitude, herding, or sex trafficking; in 2014, the recruitment and
use of child soldiers increased significantly within government security forces and was also prevalent
among opposition forces.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is primarily a source and, to a lesser extent, a destination country for men, women, and
children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; some Sri Lankan adults and children who
migrate willingly to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Afghanistan to work in the construction,
garment, and domestic service sectors are subsequently subjected to forced labor or debt bondage
(incurred through high recruitment fees or money advances); some Sri Lankan women are forced into
prostitution in Jordan, Maldives, Malaysia, Singapore, and other countries; within Sri Lanka, women
and children are subjected to sex trafficking, and children are also forced to beg and work in the
agriculture, fireworks, and fish-drying industries; a small number of women from Asia, Central Asia,
Europe, and the Middle East have been forced into prostitution in Sri Lanka in recent years.
Sudan
Sudan is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children who are subjected to
forced labor and sex trafficking; Sudanese women and girls, particularly those from rural areas or who
are internally displaced, or refugees are vulnerable to domestic servitude in country, as well as
domestic servitude and sex trafficking abroad; migrants from East and West Africa, South Sudan,
Syria, and Nigeria smuggled into or through Sudan are vulnerable to exploitation; Ethiopian, Eritrean,
and Filipina women are subjected to domestic servitude in Sudanese homes, and East African and
possibly Thai women are forced into prostitution in Sudan; Sudanese children continue to be recruited
and used as combatants by government forces and armed groups.
Suriname
Suriname is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to sex
trafficking and men, women, and children subjected to forced labor; women and girls from Suriname,
Guyana, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic are subjected to sex trafficking in the country, sometimes
in interior mining camps; migrant workers in agriculture and on fishing boats and children working in
infonnal urban sectors and gold mines are vulnerable to forced labor; traffickers from Suriname
exploit victims in the Netherlands.
Syria
As conditions continue to deteriorate due to Syria’s civil war, human trafficking has increased; Syrians
remaining in the country and those that are refugees abroad are vulnerable to trafficking; Syria is a
source and destination country for men, women and children subjected to forced labor and sex
trafficking; Syrian children continue to be forcibly recruited by government forces, pro-regime
militias, armed opposition groups, and terrorist organizations to serve as soldiers, human shields, and
executioners; ISIL forces Syrian women and girls and Yazidi women and girls taken from Iraq to
marry its fighters, where they experience domestic servitude and sexual violence; Syrian refugee
women and girls are forced into exploitive marriages or prostitution in neighboring countries, while
displaced children are forced into street begging domestically and abroad.
Tanzania
Tanzania is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; the exploitation of young girls in domestic servitude continues to be
Tanzania’s largest human trafficking problem; Tanzanian boys are subject to forced labor mainly on
farms but also in mines and quarries, in the informal commercial sector, in factories, in the sex trade,
and possibly on small fishing boats; Tanzanian children and adults are subjected to domestic servitude,
other forms of forced labor, and sex trafficking in other African countries, the Middle East, Europe,
and the US; internal trafficking is more prevalent than transnational trafficking and is usually
facilitated by friends, family members, or intermediaries with false offers of education or legitimate
jobs; trafficking victims from Burundi, Kenya, South Asia, and Yemen are forced to work in
Tanzania’s agricultural, mining, and domestic service sectors or may be sex trafficked.
Thailand
Thailand is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; victims from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and
India, migrate to Thailand in search of jobs but are forced, coerced, or defrauded into labor in
commercial fishing, fishing-related industries, factories, domestic work, street begging, or the sex
trade; some Thai, Burmese, Cambodian, and Indonesian men forced to work on fishing boats are kept
at sea for years; sex trafficking of adults and children from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Burma
remains a significant problem; Thailand is a transit country for victims from China, Vietnam,
Bangladesh, and Burma subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor in Malaysia, Indonesia,
Singapore, Russia, South Korea, the US, and countries in Western Europe; Thai victims are also
trafficked in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; Timorese women and girls from rural areas are lured to the capital with
promises of legitimate jobs or education prospects and are then forced into prostitution or domestic
servitude, and other women and girls may be sent to Indonesia for domestic servitude; Timorese
family members force children into bonded domestic or agricultural labor to repay debts; foreign
migrant women are vulnerable to sex trafficking in Timor-Leste, while men and boys from Burma,
Cambodia, and Thailand are forced to work on fishing boats in Timorese waters under inhumane
conditions.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago is a destination, transit, and possible source country for adults and children
subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; women and girls from Venezuela, the Dominican
Republic, Guyana, and Colombia have been subjected to sex trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago’s
brothels and clubs; some economic migrants from the Caribbean region and Asia are vulnerable to
forced labor in domestic service and the retail sector; the steady flow of vessels transiting Trinidad and
Tobago’s territorial waters may also increase opportunities for forced labor for fishing; international
crime organizations are increasingly involved in trafficking, and boys are coerced to sell drugs and
guns; corruption among police and immigration officials impedes anti-trafficking efforts.
Tunisia
Tunisia is a source, destination, and possible transit country for men, women, and children subjected to
forced labor and sex trafficking; Tunisia’s increased number of street children, rural children working
to support their families, and migrants who have fled unrest in neighboring countries are vulnerable to
human trafficking; organized gangs force street children to serve as thieves, beggars, and drug
transporters; Tunisian women have been forced into prostitution domestically and elsewhere in the
region under false promises of legitimate work; East and West African women may be subjected to
forced labor as domestic workers.
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex
trafficking; Turkmen who migrate abroad are forced to work in the textile, agriculture, construction,
and domestic service industries, while women and girls may also be sex trafficked; in 2014, men
surpassed women as victims; Turkey and Russia are primary trafficking destinations, followed by the
Middle East, South and Central Asia, and other parts of Europe; Turkmen also experience forced labor
domestically in the informal construction industry; participation in the cotton harvest is still mandatory
for some public sector employees.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced
labor and sex trafficking; Ukrainian victims are sex trafficked within Ukraine as well as in Russia,
Poland, Iraq, Spain, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Seychelles, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Israel, Italy,
South Korea, Moldova, China, the United Arab Emirates, Montenegro, UK, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, and
other countries; small numbers of foreigners from Moldova, Russia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Pakistan,
Cameroon, and Azerbaijan were victims of labor trafficking in Ukraine; Ukrainian recruiters most
often target Ukrainians from rural areas with limited job prospects using fraud, coercion, and debt
bondage.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and women
and children subjected to sex trafficking; government-compelled forced labor of adults remained
endemic during the 2014 cotton harvest; despite a decree banning the use of persons under 18, children
were mobilized to harvest cotton by local officials in some districts; in some regions, local officials
forced teachers, students, private business employees, and others to work in construction, agriculture,
and cleaning parks; Uzbekistani women and children are victims of sex trafficking domestically and in
the Middle East, Eurasia, and Asia; Uzbekistani men and, to a lesser extent, women are subjected to
forced labor in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine in the construction, oil, agriculture, retail, and food
sectors.
Venezuela
Venezuela is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex
trafficking and forced labor; Venezuelan women and girls, sometimes lured from poor interior regions
to urban and tourist areas, are trafficked for sexual exploitation within the country, as well as in the
Caribbean; Venezuelan children are exploited, frequently by their families, in domestic servitude;
people from South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa are sex and labor trafficking victims in
Venezuela; thousands of Cuban citizens, particularly doctors, who work in Venezuela on government
social programs in exchange for the provision of resources to the Cuban Government experience
conditions of forced labor.
Yemen
Yemen is a source and, to a lesser extent, transit and destination country for men, women, and children
subjected to forced labor and women and children subjected to sex trafficking; trafficking activities
grew in Yemen in 2014, as the country’s security situation deteriorated and poverty worsened; armed
groups increased their recruitment of Yemeni children as combatants or checkpoint guards, and the
Yemeni military and security forces continue to use child soldiers; some other Yemeni children, mostly
boys, migrate to Yemeni cities or Saudi Arabia and, less frequently Oman, where they end up as
beggars, drug smugglers, prostitutes, or forced laborers in domestic service or small shops; Yemeni
children increasingly are also subjected to sex trafficking in country and in Saudi Arabia; tens of
thousands of Yemeni migrant workers deported from Saudi Arabia and thousands of Syrian refugees
are vulnerable to trafficking; additionally, Yemen is a destination and transit country for women and
children from the Horn of Africa who are looking for work or receive fraudulent job offers in the Gulf
states but are subjected to sexual exploitation or forced labor upon arrival; reports indicate that adults
and children are still sold or inherited as slaves in Yemen.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to
forced labor and sex trafficking; Zimbabwean women and girls from towns bordering South Africa,
Mozambique, and Zambia are subjected to forced labor, including domestic servitude, and prostitution
catering to long-distance truck drivers; Zimbabwean men, women, and children experience forced
labor in agriculture and domestic servitude in rural areas; family members may recruit children and
other relatives from rural areas with promises of work or education in cities and towns where they end
up in domestic servitude and sex trafficking; Zimbabwean women and men are lured into exploitative
labor situations in South Africa and other neighboring countries.
World
The International Labour Organization conservatively estimated that 20.9 million people in 2012 were
victims of forced labor, representing the full range of human trafficking (also referred to as “modern-
day slavery”) for labor and sexual exploitation; about one-third of reported cases involved crossing
international borders, which is often associated with sexual exploitation; trafficking in persons is most
prevalent in southeastern Europe, Eurasia, and Africa and least frequent in EU member states, Canada,
the US, and other developed countries (2012).
SOURCE: CIA WORLD FACT BOOK 2017 https://www.cia.aov/librarv/nublications/the-world-factbook/fields/2196.html
Children
UNICEF estimates the current number of child laborers aged 5 to 17 at 168,000,000 children, down 1/3 from a
2000 estimate of 246,000,000 children. (267) If consumers made more conscience buying decisions about where
the products are made and by what companies, ultimately avoiding products from those countries and companies
that condone child labor and sweatshops, would this not help to make a difference? If the governments of
western nations enacted regulations to stop companies from engaging in child labor overseas while also banning
the importation of products which are manufactured by children and in sweatshops, would this help in
eliminating child labor and sweatshops?
Daily, in every country around the world children are victims of violence. The World Health Organization
reports that every 5 minutes a child dies as a result of violence, and that 1,000,000,000 children have
experienced physical, sexual, or psychological violence in the past year. (681) If better morals were instilled into
society through example and education, in addition to more laws being enacted and rigorously enforced, could
this not help to eliminate child violence?
Although child marriage is rapidly declining in the United States, a verified 167,000 children in 38 U.S. States,
some as young as 10, were married between 2000 and 2010, and many were married to adult men often with a
significant age difference. As the other 12 states and Washington, D.C. could not provide data, the non-profit
Unchained at Last using the verified data estimated the total for all 50 states to be 248,000 children. (487) How
can child marriage still be legal and condoned or simply ignored by so many in the United States?
Many children in Western societies are now raised in isolation and separate from their parents starting at birth.
Newborns are often placed in a cradle located in a separate room and monitored with an electronic device. They
are not carried naturally, but rather in a stroller. They are fed formula made with dairy based ingredients and not
breastmilk. And some are even educated solely by television, the Internet, or in government or private schools.
These children are separated from their parents at birth and pushed out of the nest as soon as possible, all for the
convenience of the parent. They are raised by technology, a babysitter, and without direct love from the parents.
There are even videos and apps which specifically target infants and children, not to educate them, but rather to
occupy them and make profits from. How would Homo sapiens develop if they were not introduced so early in
life to the Internet, television, apps, and other things they cannot comprehend, but were instead exposed to nature
for the first few years?
Many children are also not allowed to be themselves or develop naturally, with so many children being forced to
imitate the parents and follow a path set out for them by the parent which tries to make the child over in their
own image, (e.g. the father is a businessman and thus the child must carry on the legacy of being a
businessperson) Children are often objectified and are basically like a doll to some parents which have their
children’s ears pierced or dressing them in ridiculous outfits. They are often labeled as something unrealistic like
a princess or they are called special, the best, or another faux classification which too often sets them up for
future disappointment when they come to the realization that they are not what they’ve been labeled.
Boxing, football, ice hockey, and other barbaric contact sports have all been linked to long-term brain damage, a
wide range of physical injuries, and even permanent disabilities, so why are youth encouraged to participate?
Why are so many male children given guns and military toys with which to mimic acts of war? Is it not enough
evidence that violent toys beget real violence, when children are being shot in the streets by police officers
because they are holding a toy gun? Why are so many female children given a baby doll to play with and pretend
they are mothers, and later given a sexualized Barbie type doll to play with? How different would the world be if
Homo sapiens were educated from youth with more scientific and historical facts versus being brainwashed by
religious or other negative sources? How much different would the world be if more Homo sapiens were taught
to live simply and try to help others instead of being taught to spend a lifetime focusing on materialism and
greed? What would the world be like if it were similar to that proposed in Richard Evans Farson's
1978 ‘ Birthrights ’ where children vote, work, choose their education and guardians, and have other adult
privileges and rights?
Women
Women have been oppressed by men since time immemorial, and have only recently begun to gain rights,
freedoms, and equality in most parts of the world which most men have had for centuries. For thousands of years
women have been sexually assaulted, sexually harassed, raped, physically abused, murdered, degraded,
humiliated, intimidated, objectified, and made to feel inferior to men. They have been enslaved and also forced
into marriage, pregnancy, and prostitution. From foot binding to the burqa women’s physical appearances have
often been controlled by men for thousands of years, and in a few places in the world this control is still exerted
even today. Too often in today’s society women are objectified through sex and beauty, and this objectification is
prevalent in everything from entertainment to the marketing of products. Women are sold a lie by corporations
which promote an image of artificial beauty through fashion and cosmetics, while being discouraged to accept
their natural unaltered form of beauty. Women are often paid less wages than men for the same exact job, while
also being discriminated against in the workplace by not being given leadership roles or other promotions. Their
reproductive rights are oppressed by religions, politicians, and doctors which attempt to control them through
antiquated laws, deception, and fearmongering tactics based on their ideology and not what a woman truly wants
or needs. In 2016, of the 73,700,000 children in the United States 17,200,000 were living with the mother only,
compared with 3,000,000 which lived with the father only. (675)
Over the last 24 years, there has been a huge rise in the number of caesarean sections with many not being
medically justifiable, but being done instead either because of fear of pain, the misconception that a caesarean
section is safer for the baby, convenience for either the health professionals or the mother and family, or for
cultural reasons based on luck and fate. Based on the data from 121 countries between 1990 and 2014, the global
average caesarean section rate has increased from 6.7% to 19.1%. The highest caesarean section rates were in
Latin America and the Caribbean region with 40.5% of children being bom by caesarean section, 32.3% in North
America, 31.1% in Oceania, 25% in Europe, and 19.2% in Asia. (693) Male chauvinism, modem societies
demand for labor, and lack of family or any other form of support too often puts a heavy burden on women and
children as well. In many societies around the world, and more especially in western societies, women are
expected to be up and about during pregnancy or during their menstrual cycle, times when most women could
possibly use more rest and support from their male counterparts. Globally, only 44% of newborns are put to the
breast within the first hour after birth, and the overall rate of infants under 6 months of age which are exclusively
breastfeed is only 40%. (488) Breast feeding in public is often shunned in many western societies, and women are
often considered abnormal if they want to practice traditional natural birth outside a hospital setting. Many
women do not breastfeed or stop breastfeeding perhaps early than they should because of the necessity to return
to work, and because dairy based infant formulas are now so widely available and often encouraged over
breastmilk. If breastfeeding can reduce malnutrition rates and bolster a child's brain development, why then isn't
the practice being encouraged more by governments through education and longer paid maternity leave? The
Yana treated women giving birth or menstruating quite differently, which Theodora Kroeber describes as,
“Nowhere was it expected, or indeed allowed, that the mother should at once be up and back to work. She was kept to her bed
and to a special diet, cared for by her mother or another older woman and by her husband until the infant's cord had healed
and dropped off, by which time the mother would nonnally have the milk flow and nursing established. Whoever was caring
for her helped her also in this, gently sucking off the colostrum if the baby did not do so, and giving the baby a little acorn
gruel to suck at until he learned to nurse properly. The “strong woman” tradition of northern European peasantry, in which the
mother “has” her baby out in the field and returns forthwith to scything or other field work in which she was engaged up to
the actual moment of birth, not only was unknown to our Indians; the idea of such a procedure would have disgusted and
outraged their sense of propriety and their understanding of medicine and healing.”
“For six days each month-the ritual if not the actual length of her period-a woman was required to withdraw to a separate
house and more or less to stay on her bed; there was the length of a moon's waxing and waning to be spent in retirement and
rest following the birth of her baby, during which she was considered at most convalescent.” (310)
The global participation rate of women in national governments is around 23%, and currently only around 20%
of the United States Senate and House of Representatives are women, with the first being elected in the early 20th
century. Worldwide many government positions are now held by women the for the first time due to a dramatic
political shift which began in the 21st century, a positive change which will hopefully only continue. In Bolivia,
53% of the parliament are women and 39% of the French parliament are women. In 2016, Faith Spotted Eagle
became the first indigenous Homo sapiens of the United States to receive an electoral vote for President of the
United States, in addition to also being one of the first of two women to receive a presidential electoral vote.
Women are now more involved in businesses, organizations, and governments throughout the world than ever
before, and one could argue that they have made far more positive changes for the world in the short span of 50
years than men have throughout all of history. Perhaps more women will enter leadership roles and become the
majority in power giving society the motherly type love it needs to correct itself, instead of the violent and
tyrannical shadow which men have cast over the world during the last 10,000 years. Many women live life with
more love, empathy, and passion than most men, and this could perhaps be the qualities which not only reverse
the current path of self-destruction which Homo sapiens are going down, but also help in creating a new path of
coexistence on Earth. Will this increasing participation of women in businesses, organizations, and governments
ultimately be the salvation Homo sapiens and planet Earth need? What would the governments of the world be
like if women had equality worldwide and held half or more of all government positions?
Figure 2.
Female-to-Male Earnings Ratio and Median Earnings of Full-Time, Year-Round Workers
15 Years and Older by Sex: 1960 to 2015
Ratio in percent
Recession
Note: The data for 201 3 and beyond reflect the implementation of the redesigned income questions. The data points are placed at
the midpoints of the respective years. Data on earnings of full-time, year-round workers are not readily available before 1960.
For more information on recessions, see Appendix A. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error,
and definitions, see <www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmarl 6. pdf>.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 1961 to 2016 Annual Social and Economic Supplements.
Family and Individualism
The traditional family unit that existed 1 00 years ago is now nearly nonexistent and has been replaced by
individualism and detachment, along with less and less households having both parents. In the United States
between 1960 and 2016, the percentage of children living in families with two parents decreased from 88% to
69%. (675) Families and friends now seem to communicate more with text messaging than actual real
conversation, and too often one observes families dining out at a restaurant with each family member engrossed
in a mobile device playing a game, surfing the Internet, or engaged in social media. Families today appear as just
individuals living in groups with everyone doing separate things while being forced to come together at set
intervals during the day, week, or year. This pointless forced socialization in not only families, but also with
other members of society can be seen throughout history. Henry David Thoreau wrote,
"Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each
other. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are. We have had
to agree on a certain set of rules, called etiquette and politeness, to make this frequent meeting tolerable and that we need not
come to open war. We meet at the post-office, and at the sociable, and about the fireside every night; we live thick and are in
each other's way, and stumble over one another, and I think that we thus lose some respect for one another. Certainly less
frequency would suffice for all important and hearty communications." (648)
Some Homo sapiens have been taught from an early age to be more individualistic, self-centered, and ignore
everyone and everything else in the world around them. While some other Homo sapiens have the mentality that
they are here for only a few short years and are going to die anyway, so they may as well be happy and do
whatever they want, no matter the consequences to the environment and society. This disregard for not only
others, but for the Earth itself and future generations is an extremely selfish and asinine way of thinking and
acting. Many neighbors do not even know each other, but instead live next to each other without ever even
speaking. Ina Corrine Brown said,
LIn the Modem Western world, the interdependence of human beings is obscured but our emphasis on individualism and by
the impersonal nature of many of the relationships characteristic of an urban, industrial, money economy. Only in times of
personal or community disaster do many people become aware of the extent of their dependence on others and that there are
necessities which money cannot buy. Yet there is a real sense in which we become human only in association with other
people, and persons who attempt to live in complete isolation are usually those who already are to some degree detached from
reality.” (23)
Frivolous Entertainment and Idolization
Many Homo sapiens have replaced the wonder and amazement of nature, science, and the pursuit of knowledge
with artificially created time consuming technology and entertainment resulting in a plugged-in society that is
extremely out of touch with not only nature, science, and the pursuit of knowledge, but often with society itself.
This has also led to an entertained society with many Homo sapiens being good at some repetitive pointless
game which gives them a false sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, but which is mostly clueless about the
reality of the world around them while also making them apathetic regarding environmental and social issues.
And while this pacified society may be good for some businesses and politicians, it has ultimately led to the
dumbing down of many in society. Neil Postman wrote,
“Tyrants of all varieties have always known about the value of providing the masses with amusements as a means of
pacifying discontent.” (677)
Technology and the Internet can be a positive thing for society when it is used properly and in moderation,
otherwise it can have detrimental effects on the members of society. Some Homo sapiens are so absorbed with
technology and the Internet to the point of addiction and are unable to unplug, ultimately becoming nothing more
than drones which make billions of dollars for websites and gaming companies through advertising and in-app
purchases. Future generations may look at their ancestors and wonder how they were force fed a diet of synthetic
reality, and why they so willingly submitted to it with little to no resistance. Many Homo sapiens spend hours
each day on social media, surfing the web, watching videos, and gaming, but will not spend 1, 2, or even 3 hours
a week devoting time to volunteering and making a positive impact on society or the Earth. How clean would the
Earth be if all Homo sapiens spent 1 hour each week picking up the garbage which litters Earth? How much
more educated would children be if more adults tutored or mentored a child in need a few hours a week?
Much of the so called educational TV, documentary films, and other related media today is based on popularity,
fantasy, and sensationalism, not education, science, or content which encourages good morals or shows the
actual reality of the world. Over the last 15 years, pseudo reality shows have taken center stage and consist of
content that is the farthest thing from reality, and the acting is so bad that it is plainly obvious that it only fools
the gullible which tune in and peipetuate this ridiculousness. Many of these reality shows are nothing more than
a camera following around an ignorant narcissistic has-been celebrity or are based on the fantasy of becoming a
star. Many television shows and networks which have a theme of science and history mostly broadcast series
based on a hoax, myth, pseudo-science, pseudo history, conspiracy, or entertaining fiction, not real science and
accurate history. Skewed history and selective facts or scientific data are intermixed with entertaining aliens,
psychics, ghosts, or mythological elements to a gullible audience eager to believe and perpetuate the entertaining
lie.
The idolization of entertainers, religious figures, political leaders, or any individual is senseless and pointless.
Homo sapiens give awards and accolades to so many who are the least deserving of them, and those who receive
none are ignored or even persecuted during their lifetime only to be vindicated later and then revered long after
they are dead. Why are scientist like Fritz Haber who invented and advocated for chemical weapons, or Hermann
Staudinger who invented plastic, or Egas Moniz who developed the lobotomy awarded a Nobel Prize for work
that has had such a negative impact on humanity and the Earth, while other far more deserving individuals may
or may not even be nominated and will never receive one? Albert Einstein said.
'Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized.” (5 1 )
The Mainstream News Media
Much of the mainstream news media presents nothing more than entertainment through sensationalism and
dramatic presentation which targets a gullible audience that tunes in to anxiously await updates on pseudo
breaking news stories, often which contain little substance or purpose other than to entertain and gain ratings.
Most of the mainstream news media often do not focus on truly important social and environmental issues, but
instead place an emphasis on the deaths of famous Homo sapiens, sports, politics, weather, entertainment,
business, celebrities, trends, shopping, advertising new products, food, pets, health, extreme murders, crime,
violence, drugs, religion, or some other morbid and meaningless story which contains no real value. And while
most of these topics are important and should be covered to some extent, by making them the entire focal point
of the news, it has led to so few mainstream news agencies focusing on or even covering other crucial subject
matter, such as global warming, nature, environmental issues, indigenous issues, pollution, war, human rights,
science, education, or other pertinent subjects which are actually affecting the world and desperately need
attention brought to them. When and if these subjects are ever covered by the mainstream news media it is
usually very brief.
Some of the mainstream news media as well as the entertainment industry have used love, fear, hate, worry,
sadness, and other emotions to manipulate the masses by feeding on these emotions to create an illusory and
impossible fantasy world that often eliminates reality. Some of the mainstream news media often presents stories
with a very biased perspective, which can have vast influence on public opinion, rather than simply being factual
and informative about the truly important social and environmental issues affecting the entire world. Many
mainstream news sources are extremely redundant, with most all mainstream news agencies focusing on the
same exact news stories only being slightly reworded or being told from a different biased perspective. The 24/7
news networks run the same 20 minutes of news stories repeated for hours on end until they finally change, and
then repeat the endless repetition of news again, often focusing on only one news story for hours and even days
at a time, while ignoring the hundreds of other news stories which also matter. With this type of reporting, one
might be led to believe they are in a small world where nothing of any real importance is going on other than the
same irrelevant sensationalist new stories, when in fact it is just the opposite. News stories are usually
abandoned after being reported on once, and often little to no updates on the progression of a news story or
outcome is given and no closure to a developing news story is ever provided. Most of the the mainstream news
media is more concerned about being the first to report the news than with actually getting the facts first and
making an accurate report. Even with Internet resources like Snopes, Crosscheck, The Skeptics Society,
PolitiFact, and others exposing the truth, inaccurate news and rumors are still ever present. How much more
reliable would the mainstream news be if they used these and other accurate resources to fact check all of their
news stories, instead of reporting lies based on sensationalism and instant information?
Negativity and crime seem to dominate much of the mainstream news, leading some to believe that with all the
murder and mayhem being reported that the world it is a far more dangerous place than it actually is, and can
result in a paranoid society buying more guns, putting more locks on their doors, and isolating themselves even
further from the outside world. If one were to look at the actual crime statistics issued by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), they would see that violent crimes as well as property crimes have actually decreased
dramatically. Nationwide violent crimes (murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, legacy rape, revised rape,
robbery, and aggravated assault) have fallen from their peak in 1992 of 1,932,274 incidents to 1,197,987 in 2014,
and property crime (burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) have fallen from their peak in 1991 of
12,961,116 incidents to 8,277,829 incidents in 2014. (685) Whereas the frequently underreported white-collar
crimes (Ponzi schemes, fraud, insider trading, bribery, labor racketeering, embezzlement, cybercrime, money
laundering, forgery, and identity theft) have increased by 847% from 325,519 crimes in 2001 to 3,083,379
crimes in 2015 being reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). (686) Because of the sensationalism and
negative spin which is often put on news content, along with the alarmist attitude which is projected through
overdramatizing issues, many Homo sapiens have an unwarranted phobia regarding some issues based on
rumors and false information. Most doomsday and worst -case scenarios which are often proposed will never
happen, and they are used by some mainstream news media organizations to create hype and gain ratings. If
news were based more on reality and the facts, would this not lead to more contemplation about valid and
positive change regarding environmental and social issues, instead of irrelevant speculations and pointless
gossip? Neil Postman wrote,
“What is happening here is that television is altering the meaning of “being infonned” by creating a species of information
that might properly be called disinformation. I am using this word almost in the precise sense in which it is used by spies in
the CIA or KGB. Disinformation does not mean false information. It means misleading information-misplaced, irrelevant,
fragmented or superficial information-information that creates the illusion of knowing something but which in fact leads one
away from knowing. In saying this, I do not mean to imply that television news deliberately aims to deprive Americans of a
coherent, contextual understanding of their world. I mean to say that when news is packaged as entertainment, that is the
inevitable result. And in saying that the television news show entertain but does not inform, I am saying something far more
serious than that we are being deprived of authentic infonnation. I am saying we are losing our sense of what it means to be
well informed. Ignorance is always correctable. But what shall we do if we take ignorance to be knowledge?” (687)
There is now a tendency to label anything as ‘fake news ’ by those being criticized or whom disagree, even
though there are undeniable facts present and there is nothing fake whatsoever about it. The problem is not that
there is inaccurate news or misinformation, this issue has been prevalent since the beginning of civilization and
gossip first began to spread. The problem is that many Homo sapiens are gullible and perhaps lack education and
logical thought with which to decipher the inaccurate news from real news, in addition to simply not
factchecking the news themselves. Yellow journalism will most likely always be present so long as there is an
uneducated gullible audience which craves such gibberish, along with some mainstream news media
organizations which base news stories on sensationalism while presenting the news in an entertaining way to
gain ratings. Neil Postman wrote,
“The problem is not that television presents us with entertaining subject matter but that all subject matter is presented as
entertaining, which is another issue altogether.
To say it still another way: Entertainment is the supra-ideology of all discourse on television. No matter what is depicted or
from what point of view, the overarching presumption is that it is there for our amusement and pleasure. That is why even on
news shows which provide us daily with fragments of tragedy and barbarism, we are urged by the newscasters to “join them
tomorrow.” What for? One would think that several minutes of murder and mayhem would suffice as material for a month of
sleepless nights. We accept the newscasters' invitation because we know that the “news” is not to be taken seriously, that it is
all in dun, so to say. Everything about a news show tells us this-the good looks and amiability of the cast, their pleasant
banter, the exciting music that opens and closes the show, the vivid film footage, the attractive commercials-all these and
more suggest that what we have just seen is no cause for weeping. A news show, to put it plainly, is a format for
entertainment, not education, reflection or catharsis. And we must not judge too harshly those who have framed it in this way.
They are not assembling the news to be read, or broadcasting it to be heard. They are televising the news to be seen.” (678)
Real news is nothing more than facts and not opinions which can often be biased. Freedom of speech, opinions,
and debate are excellent, and they are a vital part of democracy, but only in the right forum, and so long as it is
not labeled as news. If news is based on opinions and is biased creating a one-sided presentation of the issues
while ignoring most of the facts, then it will never truly be news, it will just be pointless gossip and slander
interwoven with select facts to support it. If the public looks to the mainstream news media as a source for facts
and information, then it should be delivering this, otherwise they are misleading the public and causing mass
confusion, hysteria, and unnecessary paranoia through the spreading of misinformation. Most Homo sapiens do
not have the time nor the desire to fact-check everything in the news, nor should they be expected to fact-check a
news organization whose main goal and mission should be to do exactly this, and this precisely why it is
essential that the mainstream news media provide factual and relevant information. If the public cannot depend
on the news media organizations for this service, what good are they other than to be a source of entertainment
and opinions? Shouldn’t they be labeled as entertainment or opinionated, and not news? Perhaps if more news
was presented like PBS Frontline, PBS NewsFIour, National Public Radio, BBC News, the Associated Press,
France 24, and a few others do, then this would help in reporting the facts more accurately. Unfortunate these
exemplary news organizations receive so little funding in comparison with their corporate counterparts. Perhaps
if the mainstream news was based less on what information the public wants, and more on vital information they
need, then the public would be far more informed about the real environmental and social issues which are
occurring in the world and initiate more positive changes.
Although there are a growing number of alternative news sources since the advent of the Internet, adding to the
few reliable mainstream news sources, they are still overshadowed by the rest of the mainstream news media
which is now dominated by coiporations. When corporations and entertainment related companies have taken
control of most of the mainstream news media sources, they have truly lost their value of being a reputable news
organization. In 1983, 90% of United States media was owned by more than 50 different companies, in 2017
only 6 media conglomerates: Comcast, Newscorp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS controlled that same
90%. Many mainstream news agencies are nothing more than a business, and their reporting and access to their
news content are based around money and how much profit can be made. When news organizations don’t want
to progress with technology and offer their content for free and instead require a paid subscription, they have lost
their value of being a true news agency as they are basing access to news and information on money, while
focusing more on the profiting of money from news and information rather than being an informative news
source which spreads truth. The Aljazeera September 2016 broadcast 'US elections and the media: How did we
get here?' reported that lax regulation in addition to an absence of a strong public broadcasting system, like in
some other countries, has strongly affected the coverage of US politics. And the March 2017 report ‘Occupation
of the American Mind ’ details the information wars being waged by Israel and its supporters over the last 50
years to distort the truth about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and win over the hearts and minds of Americans.
In parts of the world which have truly important news being reported on the media is often censored. One need
only view the Reporters Without Borders yearly World Press Freedom Index to see how freedom of speech
especially through the news media is silenced in so many countries around the world, and even in some
democratic nations. Between 1992 and July 2017, there were 1,737 journalists which died either as a result of
being murdered, caught in crossfire, or another deadly incident from covering a war or other dangerous
assignment. (414) How much truth was either permanently hidden, delayed, or altered as a result of a journalists
being murdered for reporting the truth? Suppressing the facts and knowledge until it is relevant based on
ideology or popularity is not news, it is the control of news and the truth and does nothing more than hinder
change and progress.
The reality of a situation is often censored by the news to shield the public from the what is deemed to be too
graphic or from what is considered inappropriate, and although the Internet has broken down this barrier,
censorship it is still prevalent within most mainstream news organizations. This content which is labeled as too
graphic or inappropriate has helped to initiate change throughout history when viewers see the actual horrors of a
situation like war, starving children, natural disasters, etc. As the old adages go ‘if something is out of sight, it is
thus out of mind ’ whereas ‘a picture is worth a thousand words ’, and when Homo sapiens see the reality of a
situation through a visual presentation it cannot be denied or debated. How about an evening news summary of
worldwide news and the continuous depredations done by Homo sapiens, instead of the current happy face
which is put on the news? Perhaps if news was based more on the facts presented with real pictures uncensored,
and Homo sapiens witnessed the real devastation which is occurring in the world instead of being censored from
it, more would actually care and initiate positive change, instead of just being aware of the issue. How about a
section in news which is presented in an almanac fashion and has nothing but statistical facts on environmental
and social issues showing the actual reality of these issues? (e.g. pollution levels, number of children dying every
minute, amount of oil being consumed, casualties of war, gallons of toxic waste spilled, etc.) Why does the
mainstream news media too often focus on one or a few Homo sapiens dying or being rescued, while millions of
other Homo sapiens are dying around the world and need rescuing also?
‘Saturday Night Live ’ has been showing the reality of the world through comedy since 1975, along with others
which followed later like ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ’, ‘The Colbert Report ’, and ‘The Soup all of which
will be sadly missed by a cult following. Their broadcasts will most certainly go down in history for having
shown the reality of the world, while also serving as a reminder of how truly absurd, ignorant, and insane some
Homo sapiens truly were. Newer shows like ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’, ‘Full Frontal with Samantha
Bee ’, ‘The Jim Jefferies Show ’ and ‘The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale ’ continue this tradition for the few
million who tune in to watch.
CHAPTER II.
Homo sapiens Excessive Footprint
World Population
The chemical and advanced scientific revolutions helped to create a rapid population explosion over the last 90
years, and although abortion and contraception are utilized by some around the world, with an estimated
43,800,000 abortions conducted in 2008, the population of Homo sapiens continues to grow exponentially. (413)
The United Nations estimated the world population of Homo sapiens at 7,300,000,000 in July 2015, and they
predict a steady decline in the population growth rate in the near future due to the ongoing global demographic
transition towards civilization, education, and modernization. If the growth rate declines to zero in the near
future the world could have a stable population of around 1 1,000,000,000. However, underestimated
technological and medical advancements in addition to the possible conversion by many to a vegan-based diet
could allow for even longer lifespans, and the total future population could be far greater. Future growth in
population will also mean increased energy, food, and water consumption resulting in additional environmental
stress and impact. Perhaps the more important population issue in the future will not be how many Homo sapiens
inhabit the planet, but for how long. Already there are Homo sapiens which have lived 117 years, so it is not
preposterous to think that they could possibly live even longer in the future. How much of a footprint would
Homo sapiens leave on Earth if the average lifespan were 150 or even 200 years in duration? How much
additional food, water, energy, and other resources would this longer living generation consume? Will modem or
future Homo sapiens perhaps practice more restraint when it comes to procreation?
YEAR
WORLD POPULATION
35,000 BCE
3,000,000
10,000 BCE
15,000,000 (Agricultural Revolution)
1804
1,000,000,000
1927
2,000,000,000 (Chemical Revolution)
1960
3,000,000,000 (Advanced Scientific Revolution)
1974
4,000,000,000
1987
5,000,000,000
1999
6,000,000,000
2015
7,300,000,000
2030
8,500,000,000
2050
9,700,000,000
2100
11,200,000,000
SOURCE: Wikipedia and United Nations (72)
It should also be noted that of the 7,300,000,000 Homo sapiens in the world 1/3 of them reside in only two
countries, 1,300,000,000 in China and 1,200,000,000 in India. If these two countries had similar populations like
the next most populated nation, the United States with 321,000,000 the world population would be around
5,500,000,000. 3% of the world’s population lived in cities in 1800, by 2010, 50% lived in cities, and this
number is forecasted to reach 70% by 2050. If this trend continues, less Homo sapiens will inhabit the remote
ecosystems and this could perhaps help with the conservation of many areas allowing these remote areas to be
rehabilitated and in reverting back to more of a wild natural state. Although, another consideration is the fact that
many once small communities which only had a few hundred or less inhabitants now have thousands, and the
communities which had a few thousand now have tens of thousands or more, so in essence the once small
communities are becoming larger modem cities.
The United States had so few indigenous Homo sapiens living on its bountiful lands before the conquest of the
Americas, as did so many other areas of the world. Then came the European invasion of greed and tyranny
which encroached on, depredated, and finally assimilated the indigenous Homo sapiens. California is a good
example of this difference in that California's current population is 38,000,000 and growing, and before the
Europeans invaded and exploited the lands of California there were only 150,000 indigenous encroached that
inhabited all of California living in perfect harmony with nature on land which most Europeans erroneously
thought was an uninhabitable wasteland. (94)
There have been population declines in history mostly due to famine, war, disease, or natural disaster, but now
most of the current deaths in the western civilized world are self-inflicted and preventable, as they mainly result
from anthropogenic activities and lifestyle choices. In fact, a 2015 WHO report concluded that fertility rates
worldwide are declining which has resulted in world population growth slowing nearly everywhere globally
except Africa. (413) Some scientists warn that past evidence combined with statistical probabilities means that an
inevitable catastrophic natural disaster at some point in the future will occur, (e.g. extraterrestrial object impact,
volcanic activities, etc.) Others think that a virus will ultimately emerge or evolve resulting in a deadly
worldwide pandemic. Will these natural checks and balances disrupt the world population growth as they did
during the Antonine Plague, Plague of Justinian, Black Death pandemic, and others throughout history? Some
think that disease, famine, natural disasters, and the like are just natural checks and balances, and they postulate
that if Homo sapiens would not attempt to save everyone then the population could be held in check naturally
while also strengthening Homo sapiens genes and developing more natural resistance. Disease, famine, and
natural disasters keep flora and fauna species in check, so why should it be thought that Homo sapiens would be
treated any different than the other species on Earth? Will civilization itself through political change, education,
and modernization stabilize the world population? What would the world be like with 1 1,000,000,000 Homo
sapiens or possibly even more? Could the future cities of Earth have a population of 500,000,000 or more, with
citizens packed into layers of buildings rising above and descending below the surface of Earth? How much and
what kind of nature would be left in a world of this sort? Could the population of Earth be dramatically reduced
in the near future to only 100,000,000 Homo sapiens or less because of space exploration and colonization?
SOURCE: NASA - World population density in 2000. https://neo.sci. gsfc.nasa.gov/view.php?datasetId=SEDAC POP
Mass Consumption
'Live simply so others may simply live', is a statement that holds true more so today than of any other time in the
past. There are a very small percentage of Homo sapiens in the world which currently live a very simple non¬
impactful minimalist lifestyle upon Earth, utilizing only what they need and recycling everything until it has no
more usefulness. This lifestyle can be seen in more past than present cultures around the world, J. Eric S.
Thompson mentioned how frugal the Maya are in writing,
“The Maya is frugal-he has to be-but nowhere else in the world have I seen such patched clothes, with one neat patch on
another until, without exaggeration, it was almost impossible to identity more than the smallest areas of the original
garment.” (422)
Whereas Henry David Thoreau describes the exact opposite in Western society in writing,
"Who could wear a patch, or two extra seams only, over the knee? Most behave as if they believed that their prospects for life
would be ruined if they should do it. It would be easier for them to hobble to town with a broken leg than with a broken
pantaloon. Often if an accident happens to a gentleman's legs, they can be mended; but if a similar accident happens to the
legs of his pantaloons, there is no help for it; for he considers, not what is truly respectable, but what is respected.”
"...perhaps we are led oftener by the love of novelty and a regard for the opinions of men, in procuring it, than by a true
utility." (638)
In today’s Western society, consumption is generally regarded as a defining indicator as to how well the society
is progressing and doing economically, but it is also an indicator of the depredations Homo sapiens have inflicted
upon the Earth. Science, technological advancements, and the invention of automated machinery have all
contributed to making the production of products easier and the consumption even greater. The vast majority of
society have a 'throw away and buy a new one' mentality in regard to consumption and have no conception of
moderation, and thus they engage in extreme indulgence. There seems to be no real mass consensus or effort to
reuse, recycle, and conserve anything being used, unless it is monetarily advantageous or absolutely necessary.
Through narrow-mindedness, unscrupulous behavior, and uneducated decision-making Homo sapiens have acted
very imprudent towards Earth with their lifestyle choices and habits. Is a high rate of consumption truly a
distinguishing characteristic of an advanced society as many think, or is it simply nothing more than greed and
indulgence and a clear indicator that society has become decadent? Can the consumption of everything be
reduced by Homo sapiens simply not indulging and leading a more moderate lifestyle? Ward Chesworth wrote,
"Opulent materialism can only be sustained for the relatively few in society - the king and his court, the tyrant and his
favourites, the president and his bagmen. The eighteenth century radical, Tom Paine, believed that the prototype of them all
was the thief and his gang. The rest of us aspire to the more modest version of opulence called affluence. The problem is that
the most fortunate part of the human population has now attained an affluence that approaches historical opulence. The
affluence of a Canadian or American for example, is roughly the equivalent of 10 to 15 inhabitants of the third world, in
terns of life-time consumption and waste generation. All 10 to 15 hope to enjoy our level of luxury someday, and indeed the
Brundtland report states its goal to be exactly that. If achieved, it would scar the biosphere so badly that the downfall of the
civilization we currently enjoy would be assured. Ten thousand years of trial and error, reaching back before Sumer, would
simply be another failed experiment. And even if the goal is not achieved, as seems more likely, the stress between the haves
and the have-nots would leave little chance for the development of a stable world community." (670)
The idea of a moderate lifestyle can be seen in many ancient cultures, this was the theme during much of ancient
Greek culture and especially we can see a moderate lifestyle in the Maya culture. J. Eric S. Thompson wrote,
“As we shall see, Maya character, with its emphasis on moderation, discipline, co-operation, patience, and consideration for
others, made possible outstanding achievements in the intellectual field.
Maya philosophy is best summarized in the motto, 'Nothing in excess,' which was inscribed over the temple of Delphi.
Harmonious living, moderation, and a full comprehension of that spirit of toleration for the foibles of one's neighbors
contained in the expression 'live and let live' characterize the present-day Maya. The development of a somewhat similar
philosophy has been considered one of the great achievements of Athenian culture, and rightly has been put before material
progress.
Quiet compromise and the spirit of live and let live were too deeply ingrained in his and his neighbors' characters to let him
doubt the result. Everyone, and all the trees, the crops, and the animals had their rights. One must not violate these rights or
try to take more than was his due. All such matters should be looked at from the other point of view as well as one's own.
It must be remembered that the Maya did not set the human race so far apart from the rest of created life as we do, but then
the Maya had, and still has, a deeper sense of his relative unimportance in creation.” (26)
Watching Robert J. Flaherty's 1922 documentary 'Nanook of the North' one can see exactly how simple the
indigenous Homo sapiens lifestyle once was and still is for some even today. The Maya had no beasts of burden
and no wheel, they used not a single nail in constructing their dwellings, and yet they built great temples and
homes in which they lived. There are very few remains from past societies of the last 1 0,000 years, for the most
part there are stone buildings or other artifacts that have weathered nature and time. But over the last 300 years,
there has been an increase in not only the amount of garbage, but also the type. To think of all the mass
quantities of clothes, shoes, dishes, and other items these ancient societies must have made and utilized, and how
little remains on the earth today that was not preserved, usually by chance, this is truly how Homo sapiens
should leave Earth when they die. Homo sapiens of past societies had fewer possessions, all of which were
handcrafted out of natural bio-degradable materials and were also made to be more durable lasting the lifetime of
the possessor and even to be passed on to their descendants. Possessions today are more based on social status,
trend, or indulgence, all of which revolve around the generation of profits from the sale of these items, ultimately
creating an endless cycle of pollution, garbage, and waste of resources. The excessive hoarding of things based
on unnecessary preparedness, aesthetical obsession, or object idolization all feed into the trillions of dollars’
worth of meaningless, worthless, unproductive, and polluting commerce.
What is even more appalling is the amount of food which is purchased and never consumed only to be ultimately
discarded and wasted while others around the world are dying of starvation and malnutrition related diseases.
The United Nations World Food Programme estimates that 795,000,000 million Homo sapiens worldwide go to
bed on an empty stomach each night. Many western societies waste an abundant amount of food, and
1,600,000,000 tonnes of food, or 1/3 of all the food produced worldwide is discarded or goes to waste amounting
to $990,000,000,000. One-fourth of the food being lost or wasted globally could feed 870,000,000 Homo
sapiens in the world. (189) The surplus of food being discarded, from grocery stores and restaurants, is
sometimes now being distributed to low income individuals and families through food banks, but food continues
to be wasted in so many forms and could be recycled even further. In agricultural operations and in grocery
stores, billions of pounds of perfectly edible food is discarded because of the size, a bruise, or other blemish in
an effort to make the marketplace more aesthetically appealing and inviting for consumers. Allot of food is
purchased and simply left to rot in many Western society kitchen pantries. Much food is discarded simply
because consumers have a misconception about an expiration date and a freshness date thinking that the
freshness date means the date it must be consumed by, when in actuality it is when the food tastes freshest by
and has nothing to do with edibility. Some consumers discard food because of freezer bum thinking that the food
is spoiled, but again it is still very edible. Vast amounts of food are wasted because of the large portions served at
restaurants with many consumers not taking the leftovers home to consume later or give to a less fortunate
individual. Could many of these issues not be corrected by better individual food management habits? Could not
all soon to expire food be given to a food hank or directly to individuals by placing an ad on Craigslist free
section or on social media, instead of discarding it into the trash? Flow much money could households save if
they had more access to all the perfectly edible food being discarded? Flow many millions of pumpkins are
carved every year for Halloween and not consumed? Why don't consumers instead make a pie or other pumpkin
based dish? How many millions of chicken eggs are boiled and dyed each year during Easter and never
consumed? How much food is wasted making an offering during a religious ceremony? How much food is not
simply washed and instead is discarded when it touches the floor or another undesired surface? How much food
could be saved through better eating habits? (e.g. not discarding leftovers, or using a kitchen utensil to scrape the
sides of a food container, or adding a small amount of water to a partially sealed food container to get the tad of
food stuck to the sides of the container)
Carl Haub estimates that 107,602,707,791 births have occurred since the dawn of modem Homo sapiens around
52,000 years ago (700), yet most of the environmental damage has been done mainly during the last 200 years by
only 15,000,000,000 or so of the total number of Homo sapiens to have ever inhabited the Earth. The lifestyle
the inhabitants of a planet lead and the materials which are chosen to create things, makes the difference in
leaving barely a footprint or any sign one ever inhabited the planet like a few pottery sherds, maybe a wall of an
adobe house, or a painting on a cave wall, versus leaving a footprint of synthetically made unnatural non-
biodegradable things that will take thousands to perhaps millions of years to decompose. That isn't to say that the
Homo sapiens which have inhabited Earth throughout all eras of history haven’t done some damage to the Earth
in their own way, slashing and burning forest for agriculture, cutting down forests to build cities and ships,
draining swamps for agriculture, overkill of species, etc. But the scale at which it has occurred in modem times
is infinitely vaster with the help of science and technology, and these tools and chemicals with which to
depredate the Earth have only continued to increase in severity over time. Paleontologists and anthropologists
have speculated that Homo sapiens have been causing mass extinctions for 50,000 or more years. Evidence is
emerging which shows a strong correlation with the arrival of Homo sapiens in North and South America,
Australia, and other areas of the world and the extinction of megafauna species. Richard Leakey and Roger
Lewin state that,
“Nevertheless, in recent years it has become undeniable that the evolution of Homo sapiens was to imprint a ruinous
signature on the rest of the natural world, perhaps right from the beginning...
The message of the complexity of ecosystems -their interconnectedness and their vulnerability to disruption by human hands-
repeats again and again...
The coincidence of this mass dying with the end of the glacial epoch is precise, and would seem compelling as a putative
casual agent. Yet there are few detailed hypotheses about exactly how the extinction might have occurred. It is not sufficient
to say that plant communities were plunged into disarray; therefore animal species became extinct. This was one of the
reasons why, in 1967, Paul Martin, a paleontologist at the University of Arizona, revived the overkill hypothesis of Wallace
and Owen, and termed the phenomenon "Pleistocene overkill.” He argued that climatic change was not the only event with
which the end-Pleistocene extinction coincided. At the same time, a new kind of mammalian species was spreading though
the Americas, beginning about 11,500 years ago in the north (after having crossed the exposed Bering land bridge from Asia),
and continuing for a millennium, reaching Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of South America, 10,500 years ago. The
immigrants to the New World are known to archaeologists as Clovis people, named after their delicately crafted projectile
points...
Martin calculates that within 350 years of entering North America, the original bands of Clovis people had increased their
numbers to 600,000 and had reached the Gulf of Mexico. This explosive expansion was facilitated by unlimited resources-
land and prey-opening up before their inexorable advance. Before their first millennium in the New World was over, the
Clovis people had reached the southern tip of the continent, and now numbered many million. This north-to-south population
expansion left a trail of destruction, as hunters were easily able to kill large, lumbering prey unused to a new kind of predator.
The animals probably had no innate fear of humans, as is often the case in regions of the world (usually islands) that have
evolved in the absence of humans; they would therefore have been particularly vulnerable to efficient hunters. The hunters, in
their turn, were unused to this kind of prey, and so were perhaps freed from the usual hunters' constraint against mass
killing.” (123)
There is a prevalent theme of moderation, coexistence, and respect for Earth in most indigenous societies
throughout the world, be it North America, South American, Africa, or other parts of the world. Could these
morals have originated, because of oral stories passed down throughout the generations about this overkill and
extinction thousands of years ago? Could they have learned from their ancestor’s depredations, about over-
exploitation, and the over-killing of faunae, and this was one of the reasons for their nearly perfect symbiotic
relationship and coexistence with the natural world around them when the Europeans arrived? Is history
repeating itself and modern-day Homo sapiens are experiencing a similar lesson? Will they learn from this lesson
or will it simply be ignored? Can future generations be different through education and shown by example how
to live a better more natural alternative lifestyle with a smaller footprint as their ancient ancestors did? How
much less consumption would there be if Homo sapiens just lived more simply and had minimalism lifestyles
with less material possessions? Will future generations perhaps be more self-sufficient like their ancestors
growing fruits and vegetables and making their own clothes and other household items? What if Homo sapiens
shared more items with their fellow Homo sapiens, or if more products could be rented, wouldn’t this reduce
consumption if there were less items which had to be purchased per individual, especially for products which are
only used occasionally or once in a lifetime?
How Much Consumption is Too Much?
The billions of plastic items that are being consumed daily and which have been consumed over just the last 100
years is extensive. Most products today have more packaging than product to aid in marketing or for
manufacturing convenience, and this packaging usually lasts far longer than the product being consumed, (e.g.
most food packaging is synthetic plastic and only stores the food for a few weeks or days while the packaging is
around for hundreds or thousands of years afterwards) All of the waste, consumption of resources, and product
packaging for food alone immense. What if grocery stores sold more food items via bulk merchandising and
consumers brought their own containers to dispense the desired amount of food into? This may not be feasible
for all food products, but it could be used for a variety of foods, and this system is already being used in some
grocery stores for food items like granola, nuts, candy, etc., so certainly many more food items could be sold in
this fashion. Many products are made in abundance and consumed in the same manner, some products are sold
only via bulk-packaging to either market them better to consumers as being a better value or to make
manufacturing costs lower, but this method can also result in even more consumption of the product. Millions of
novelty and trend-based products are marketed and sold to gullible consumers each year who hoard thousands of
useless collectables throughout their lifetime, only to have them discarded in a landfill when they die. Many
items which are disposed of still have use left in the product, (e.g. toothpaste has several more servings of
toothpaste in the container, it can easily be accessed by cutting the container open with scissors)
A good example of the amount of consumption and waste of products can be illustrated in the simple exercise of
looking at a product around you, pick anything, lip balm for instance. Now imagine that one company and how
many tubes of lip balm they have created since their inception, 1,000,000 or 10,000,000 or perhaps more. Also
factor in that this consumption has been increasing and going on for over 75 years so that would make
75,000,000 or perhaps 750,000,000 used plastic lip balm tubes that were made and disposed of throughout the
history of the product thus far and counting. Then think of all the empty useless lip balm tubes that now occupy
space in a landfill and the toxic chemicals which are going into the soils of Earth or if the tubes were incinerated
the toxic chemicals went into the atmosphere. Now do that exercise for automobile tires, plastic water bottles,
batteries, computers, cellphones, automobiles, toothbrushes, disposable razors, or any of the other millions of
products which are produced in vast quantities, the list is nearly infinite. Also, don’t forget to factor in the many
tiny plastic parts and other things which make up the larger product as a whole, the gaskets, casings, stickers,
glue, paint, lubricants, safety seals, etc.
Technology is always advancing, and electronic manufacturers now offer a wide variety of product choices,
many of which are cheaply manufactured products with an infinitesimal lifespan. Since their invention, how
many of the billions of laptops, printers, desktop PCs with monitors, smartphones, and tablets which were sold
are now sitting in a landfill? How many billions of printer ink cartridges have been manufactured and sold over
that same time? Prescription medicine bottles are never reused by pharmacies refilling prescriptions, how many
millions of these bottles are thrown away each month? How many billions of unwanted and unused ketchup,
mustard, relish, hot sauce, salt, pepper, lemon juice, sugar, artificial sweetener, honey, and other condiment
packets are given away with take-out food meals and drinks, only to be discarded unopened into the trash? How
many millions of straws, stirrers, lids, silverware, and other plastic items are also given out unnecessarily? How
many billions of product safety seals are used because of nothing more than paranoia? Washable and reusable
cotton diapers have been used for thousands of years until their recent replacement by the disposable plastic
diapers. How many trillions of plastic diapers have been used and now sit in a landfill or pollute an ecosystem?
How many millions of plastic tampons are discarded every month? How many millions of plastic ribbons and
silicone wristbands for charity or cause awareness have been made? Would not conversing about a charity or
cause also bring about awareness and attention perhaps even more so than a color symbol which most are unable
to decipher? How many billions of one use or convenience items have been consumed? How many billions of
products have been made that are simply a fad and will only be looked at or used for a short period of time,
perhaps only once and then thrown away? (e.g. party, holiday, festival, sporting event, items like plastic cups,
hats, glasses, or other things) How many billions of lime desiccant or other oxygen absorbers are added to
products in an attempt to maintain a longer shelf life? How many road flares are used each year when a simple
flashing led light could be used instead? How many billions of toxic one -use items like glow sticks have been
consumed? How many billions of instruction manuals are senselessly printed in 5 or more irrelevant languages
adding unnecessary paper in order to make manufacturing or distribution easier? How many billions of vinyl
records, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, CDs, and DVDs were consumed until their near replacement with MP3s
and other online digital media sources? How many millions of headphones, pillows, bars of soap, mini shampoo
and conditioner bottles, and other plastic items distributed by airlines, hotels, and cruise ships and then discarded
unused or after only being temporary used?
Why are so many billions of plastic disposable items made without any recycling options? Shouldn’t any product
which will be manufactured in such large quantities, say more than 50,000 times, be required by law to have
recycling program in place for that product? How much paper is wasted with unwanted and unnecessary
receipts? How much paper could be saved, if instead of automatically printing and giving a receipt to ever
customer cashiers asked the customer if they even wanted a receipt? Don’t credit card transactions in essence
make paper receipts obsolete as there is a permanent electronic record of the purchase? How many billions of led
lights consume needless power while on standby, powered off, or charging? Why aren't automatic on/off energy
saving systems on new homes mandatory by law? Why aren't water flow control devices for water conservation
mandatory by law also? How many billions of tires have been used since the car was invented more than 1 00
years ago, and were either disposed of through incineration contaminating the atmosphere, or now occupy space
in a landfill? How many fragments of tires, brakes, and other automobile parts now pollute the ecosystems of
Earth? How many thousands of helium filled balloons are let go everyday during events or by children and float
off into the atmosphere to only later come down and kill faunae or pollute an ecosystem? How many minute
particles of synthetic plastic flake off of the billions of pairs of shoes every day and end up polluting the water or
soil? How many trillions of cheaply made plastic toys are consumed every year to only end up in a landfill
within that same year? How many billions of air cushions, pieces of bubble wrap, polystyrene foam peanuts, and
other plastic padding is over used each year shipping products to customers and then discarded? How much toxic
antifreeze leaks out of automobiles only to pollute the soil or water? How many billions of gallons of toxic paint
and varnish have been used for aesthetics, only to flake off and contaminate the soil and water? How many
millions of perfectly habitable buildings have been demolished throughout history simply to build a more
elaborate structure? How many millions of gallons of toxic tree paint has been applied to trees after pruning to
bandage a wound caused by the pruning itself or to prevent cracking of new bark? How many billions of toxic
mothballs made of naphthalene or 1,4-dichlorobenzene have been used? Why would anyone put a toxic pesticide
with their clothes which could then be absorbed through their skin? Is there a real threat to clothes from insects
which are sealed in a house or closet, or is this simply a custom which continues to peipetuate because of
ignorance? Would not natural camphor be less toxic and perhaps be equally effective?
How much electricity is wasted on senseless lighting to illuminate statues, buildings, or other structures each
night? How much energy could be saved if millions of Homo sapiens participated in a monthly Earth Hour type
event turning off all lights and electronic devices? What would happen to carbon dioxide pollution output levels
if every automobile driver didn’t drive their personal automobile, and instead used public transportation or
utilized a ride-share opportunity with a friend or co-worker, for one entire day or even for one whole week each
month? How much power could be saved if more lights were energy efficient LEDs? How much energy could be
saved if more individual electronic products had built in solar chargers? How much energy could be saved if all
grocery stores used closed refrigeration systems instead of the doorless refrigeration units, which most grocery
stores have only to make food more accessible and marketable to consumers?
There is also much waste that could be stopped by simply modifying some of the practices that many industries
engage in, like senseless labels on products and product packaging which is often excessive brand names,
company logos, or pointless instructions and warnings which should be common sense. Many labels are stamped
or painted onto products which easily wear off after a few uses, flaking off into the environment or they are
possibly absorbed through the skin of the consumer. How much ink is wasted each year printing a company or
organizations name on products for nothing more than advertising? How many stickers are used each year to
advertise product features? There is also an abundance of waste throughout the world from things like items
which have no purpose other than convenience like the stickers on fruit in grocery stores. Can there not just be a
sign with the fruit name and price, and the cashiers would know what the fruit is or have a paper identification
table for reference? Or can cashiers not simply be trained to identify fruits and vegetables? Or a cash register
system which has the ability to scan the fruit and determine what it is?
A Surplus of Senseless Waste
In 2015, in the United States alone, there were 37,716 grocery stores offering an average of 42,214 separate
products. These are the larger stores which have $2,000,000 or more in annual sales and it does not include the
thousands of other smaller grocery stores. (49) In the United States, there are 428 Wal-Mart Discount Stores each
offering 120,000 separate products, in addition there are 3,499 Wal-Mart Supercenters each offering 142,000
separate products. Globally Wal-Mart Supercenters include an additional 321 in Canada, 385 in China, 256 in
Mexico, and 338 in the United Kingdom. In addition, there are international warehouse clubs like Costco with
727 warehouses and Walmart's subsidiary Sam's Club with 820 warehouses, which offer around 4,000 products
with many sold as bulk-packaged goods, thus allowing for even easier mass consumption with a discounted
monetary rate. Worldwide, there are hundreds of thousands of variety stores where most products cost $1.00 or
less and is usually cheaply made junk made from synthetic plastic which ends up in a landfill soon after being
purchased. In the United States, there are 12,483 Dollar General stores and 13,600 Dollar Tree stores. There are
750 Hobby Lobby stores and 1,367 Michaels Stores Inc. containing millions of cheaply made synthetic plastic
products for home decor, arts and crafts, and senseless hobbies. In 2014, Amazon sold a total of 5,000,000,000
items. (181) Many of the products that all of these stores offer are nothing more than the same thing packaged
and priced differently, in fact many of the brands are owned by just a few companies. How many billions of
useless, pointless, or redundant products exist only to generate more profits? How many thousands of new
products are created each day?
Consumers in western societies have so much stuff they accumulate, never use, and will never use in their
lifetime. So many perishable products are purchased with the intent to use only to be stored and eventually
expire leaving it useless. Look around you right now in your home and ask yourself, “Has that product ever been
used? Is it superfluous? Will that product ever be used again? Could someone else less fortunate be using it
instead?” Why doesn’t this clearly visible mass accumulation of products awaken those out of their slumber of
indulgence? This addiction to consumption and the erroneous notion that the products are needed could be
defined as a mental illness. Many consumers are addicts, and product consumption is like all addictions in that it
is the temporary pleasure itself and pseudo sense of satisfaction and security which perpetuates the addiction.
The only difference, is that in this case it doesn’t result in the destruction of the user, it results in the destruction
of the Earth, in essence Homo sapiens are addicted to the consumption of Earth itself. A1 Gore wrote,
“The cleavage in the modem world between mind and body, man and nature, has created a new kind of addiction: I believe
that our civilization is, in effect, addicted to the consumption of the earth itself. This addictive relationship distracts us from
the pain of what we have lost: a direct experience of our connection to the vividness, vibrancy, and aliveness of the rest of the
natural world. The froth and frenzy of industrial civilization mask our deep loneliness for that communion with the world that
can lift our spirits and fill our senses with the richness and immediacy of life itself.”
“...huge quantities of pollution, products for which we spend billions on advertising to convince ourselves we want, massive
surpluses of products that depress prices while the products themselves go to waste, and diversions and distractions of every
kind. We seem increasingly eager to lose ourselves in the forms of culture, society, technology, the media, and the rituals of
production and consumption, but the price we pay is the loss of our spiritual lives.”
“Our industrial civilization makes us a similar promise: the pursuit of happiness and comfort is paramount, and the
consumption of an endless stream of shiny new products is encouraged as the best way to succeed in that pursuit. The
glittering promise of easy fulfillment is so seductive that we become willing, even relieved, to forget what we really feel and
abandon the search for authentic purpose and meaning in our lives.”
“Many people seem to be largely oblivious of this collision and the addictive nature of our unhealthy relationship to the earth.
But education is a cure for those who lack knowledge; much more worrisome are those who will not acknowledge these
destructive patterns. Indeed, many political, business, and intellectual leaders deny the existence of any such patterns in
aggressive and dismissive tones. They serve as “enablers,” removing inconvenient obstacles and helping to ensure that the
addictive behavior continues.”
“What 1 have called our addictive pattern of behavior is only part of the story, however, because it cannot explain the full
complexity and ferocity of our assault on the earth. Nor does it explain how so many thinking and caring people can
unwittingly cooperate in doing such enormous damage to the global environment and how they can continue to live by the
same set of false assumptions about what their civilization is actually doing and why. Clearly, the problem involves more than
the way each of us as an individual relates to the earth. It involves something that has gone terribly wrong in the way we
collectively determine our mutual relationship to the earth.” (277)
Homo sapiens endless consumption of not only trend-based products, but of products which have an
infinitesimal lifespan or period of use before the item is buried in a landfill, has led to more manufacturing and
an endless growing cycle of consumption, waste, and pollution. If the 'throw away buy a new one' attitude
changes, will society stop consuming so much, and will this change also be done at the manufacturing level by
making things more durable which last longer and of natural materials which can be recycled and are also bio¬
degradable? If consumers would purchase more natural and permanent onetime products for tasks that will be
done throughout their entire life, (e.g. glass jar instead of plastic container, wooden box instead of a plastic box)
this would also lead to less consumption of everyday items, which are often designed and manufactured for one¬
time use so the consumer will purchase more, thus spending more money. In regard to the consumption of trend-
based products this change is dependent on the consumer, but given Homo sapiens history over the last 10,000
years there will be trends in the near future and the majority of consumers will most likely continue to demand
the latest and greatest, again one enters into morals and lifestyle changes on the individual level to limit this type
of consumption. To consume unneeded things simply for convenience, self-gratification, or to simply allow
something useful to go unused are true examples of indulgence and waste. The following table lists the dollar
amounts of products sold and not actual product numbers, as these are virtually non-existent or only known by
the companies selling the products, but it still gives an idea as to the number of products consumed if one takes
the total sales and then divides it by the average price of the product, (e.g. an average package a batteries costs
$4.00 and sales were $1,067,182,489 which would mean that an estimated 266,795,622 packages of batteries
were sold)
Some Products Being Consumed in Mass Quantities in the United States Based on Sales Figures 2013-2014
Product
Sales
Baby Food
$1,019,947,135
Batteries
$1,067,182,489
Beer Domestic and Imported
$10,832,835,734
Bottled Water
$4,113,330,527
Cat Food (Diy only, not including canned food or treats)
$1,090,912,051
Cereal (Ready to eat or cold cereals, not including hot cereals)
$5,997,867,099
Chocolate Candy
$2,551,642,838
Coffee Regular and Decaffeinated
$2,821,275,746
Cookies
$4,607,401,493
Dog Food (Dry only, not including canned food or treats)
$2,081,118,963
Frozen Pizza
$3,007,865,763
Ice Cream
$4,001,207,434
Potato Chips
$3,866,495,143
Salad dressing
$1,352,531,559
Soft Drinks Regular and Low-calorie
$12,178,400,251
SOURCE: The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2015 ISBN-13: 978-1-60057-190-9 p.78
Many Homo sapiens from all income brackets shop at thrift stores buying used items, and this type of recycling
is more important in today's world than ever, because of all the excess products Homo sapiens have accumulated
and continue to accumulate throughout their lifetime and remain long after they are dead. Think of all the
products Homo sapiens have accumulated by the time they die, and if no one inherits it family wise it all either
goes into the trash or is resold. If Homo sapiens attempted to acquire most products via second hand this would
have a major impact on recycling efforts like never before and most certainly lead to less manufacturing. It is a
simple matter the products being easily available on the internet to a worldwide market and consumers choosing
to buy something used or new. When purchasing a product based on a monetary amount, most likely only a
minority of worldwide consumers would choose the new product. If consumers who are choosing new products
based on a biased and illogical fear of used products can overcome this hurdle, it would help in reducing new
product consumption even further.
Most of the wealthy elite in the world squander their wealth on overpriced materialistic products and services,
(e.g. $500 shoes, $100,000 jewelry, $51,500 jacket, $400 salon visit, $300 meal at a restaurant, $500 spa
treatment, $100 dog grooming, etc.) The enormous scale of the squandering in the United States is evident in the
fact that 70% of wealthy families lose their wealth by the second generation, and 90% loose it by the third
generation. (348) How can someone squander such an excessive amount of money on useless materialism while
being surround by billions of others who are so less fortunate? How can businesses charge so much for
something which in reality is worth so little? Life is not about materiel possessions, it is about other things far
more valuable which cannot be bought, but only discovered. Albert Einstein wrote,
“The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been
Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective
world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavors, life would have seemed to me empty. The trite
objects of human efforts-possessions, outward success, luxury-have always seemed to me contemptible.” (50)
A similar point made about luxury was made by Henry David Thoreau nearly 1 00 years before when he wrote,
"Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to
the elevation of mankind. With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have ever lived a more simple and meagre life
than the poor. The ancient philosophers, Chinese, Hindoo, Persian, and Greek, were a class than which none has been poorer
in outward riches, none so rich in inward. We know not much about them. It is remarkable that we know so much of them as
we do. The same is true of the more modem reformers and benefactors of their race. None can be an impartial or wise
observer of human life but from the vantage ground of what we should call voluntary poverty." (639)
Some Homo sapiens build enormous and excessive housing structures using vast amounts of labor and materials
with the intention of it being some sort of legacy. They ignore the fact, that not only are they here for such a
short period of time to even enjoy the structure, but that it too given time will crumble like every other
materialist thing on this Earth. Nothing lasts forever, and yet Homo sapiens attempt to make all things last
forever or longer than they naturally should by putting synthetic chemicals on things, but these futile attempts do
nothing more than create more pollution and waste, (e.g. putting varnish on wood or other toxic synthetic
chemical coatings on products) Many Homo sapiens get so involved with materialism and social standing, that
they often miss out on an entire lifetime of reality. This unfortunate myopic focus on materialism and nothing
else, is perhaps even more prevalent today with technology, the abundance of products, and a society which too
often encourages this behavior. Henry David Thoreau wrote,
"Shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while reality is fabulous. If men would steadily observe realities only,
and not allow themselves to be deluded, life, to compare it with such things as we know, would be like a fairy tale and the
Arabian Nights' Entertainments. If we respected only what is inevitable and has a right to be, music and poetry would
resound along the streets. When we are unhurried and wise, we perceive that only great and worthy things have any
permanent and absolute existence, that petty fears and petty pleasures are but the shadow of the reality. This is always
exhilarating and sublime. By closing the eyes and slumbering, and consenting to be deceived by shows, men establish and
confirm their daily life of routine and habit everywhere, which still is built on purely illusory foundations. Children, who
playlife, discern its true law and relations more clearly than men, who fail to live it worthily, but who think that they are wiser
by experience, that is, by failure." (647)
Many actions are done for profit, entertainment, or comfort, and sometimes with the full knowledge of the
negative consequences, but often times they are simply done out of ignorance as this is the path which has been
set for them by others. The short-term goals of Homo sapiens appear to outweigh the unknown long-term goal of
an Earth that is natural and untouched by Homo sapiens. Society could be described as passive, demoralized, and
engulfed within civilization and all the artificially created things which formulate it, blinded to the negative
consequences of their actions, searching for something that isn't lost. If Homo sapiens become less passive
towards what they are being force fed and regain their moral ground, will corporations then be forced towards
change? Based on recent consumer demand for more natural organic products, coiporations have had no choice
but to offer these types of products. Will coiporations continue to get more organic and natural by the acquisition
of smaller mom and pop organic natural companies? Will this be the path to making all consumer products more
organic, natural, biodegradable, and manufactured environmentally friendly?
Holidays
Since 1851, Americans have been harvesting Christmas trees in the United States, and originally all trees were
taken directly from the forests. In 2000, more than 33,000,000 Christmas trees were produced in North America,
and more than 50,000,000 Christmas trees were produced in Europe. (304) How much fertilizer, pesticides,
water, transportation resources, and other valuable resources are wasted each year as a result of Christmas tree
consumption? Why are they called live Christmas trees, when they are in fact dead or dying Christmas trees? An
estimated 50,000,000 U.S. households own an artificial Christmas tree, of which about 20,000,000 are so old
that they contain older PVC made with lead potentially exposing families every Christmas holiday. (305) How
much wrapping paper, tape, ribbon, tinsel, etc. are used once and then discarded every year for birthdays,
Christmas, and other holidays? Can’t a gift be given without repackaging it? How much electricity is used for
the billions of Christmas and other holiday lights? How many millions of Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and
other holiday decorations overwhelm society each year? How much silly string, confetti, and other plastic
decorations are used once and then discarded during these holidays? How many millions of pieces of unhealthy
candy are children and even adults inundated with during Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and Valentine’s Day?
How many millions of Halloween costumes are worn once and then discarded? Most of these Western created
holidays are based on a lie and the generation of profits through consumption. Is it not time that society stop
lying to children about Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, Halloween monsters, the tooth fairy, and other mythical
wise tales, which only fill their heads with fantasy and expectations, ultimately ending in disappointment a few
years later? Is it not time to abandon these holiday traditions which are based mainly around money and
consumption? Is not the true meaning of many holidays the celebration of love and happiness? Can family and
friends not come together a few days out of the year, and share a delicious meal and reminisce, perhaps giving a
small gift which is from the heart and not based on wants and needs? How many billions of candles are wasted
each year in churches and for other ceremonious occasions? How many thousands of bonfires around the world
are lit every year during Lag BaOmer, burning man, and other ritualistic gatherings, wasting resources and
polluting the atmosphere? All for the worshiping or a mythological God and/or because of tradition. What would
the world be like if more Homo sapiens celebrated and devoted as much time and money to Arbor Day and Earth
Day, as they do for other mainstream holidays like Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, New
Years, etc.? How much less consumption would there be around the holidays if more consumers celebrated Buy
Nothing Day instead of Black Friday?
Each year, for New Years, Independence Day, and other celebrations, thousands of large scale firework displays
explode millions of fireworks in cities throughout the world. Everyday worldwide, millions of small scale
fireworks are exploded at weddings, parties, festivals, and by firework enthusiasts. During the summer in Japan,
hundreds of fireworks festivals are held, some setting off more than 100,000 fireworks during one fireworks
display. The Walt Disney World Resort has the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular show nearly every night which
usually has a fireworks display. Some cities around the world like in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico engage
in fireworks displays almost daily. Fireworks contain many toxic chemical elements like aluminum, antimony,
barium, carbon, calcium, chlorine, cesium, copper, iron, lithium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, radium,
rubidium, sodium, sulfur, strontium, titanium, and zinc which can be dispersed into the atmosphere, soil, or
water when the firework explodes. As many fireworks displays take place over urban areas, most of these
chemicals rain down onto the buildings and city streets to be washed away during the next rain, entering the soils
and water. These explosions not only pollute the Earth, but also displace and disrupt fauna from stress. Research
done between 1999 and 2013 by NOAA, found that concentrations of fine particulate matter were 42% higher
than on the days preceding and following the 4th of July holiday. At one air quality monitoring station where
fireworks were set off in an adjacent field particulate matter concentration rose 370%. (403) On New Year’s Eve
in 20 1 0, fireworks in Arkansas scared roosting red-winged blackbirds forcing them to take flight, because they
are poor night fliers they crashed into homes and cars, and more than 3,000 birds died from blunt-force trauma.
(289) Why are fireworks not regulated by the EPA, are they not an environmental pollutant? Why have so few
studies been done about the effects of fireworks on wildlife and the environment? How many spectators inhale
this fine toxic particulate matter, perhaps causing future respiratory or other health issues? How many florae and
faunae are injured or killed each year as a result of ground and aerial based fireworks? Is the environmental
damage worth an aesthetically pleasing light show that many are often too inebriated to even remember?
Excessive Use of Anti-Bacterial Agents
Homo sapiens daily use of synthetic toxic chemicals in things like dish soap, hair care products, laundry
detergents, household cleaners, etc., has led to severe stress throughout the ecosystems of the world. All of these
synthetic chemicals are used in vast quantities and end up polluting the air, water, and soil during the
manufacturing process, the consumption phase, and ultimately the waste phase. This over emphasis on sanitation
was created and is peipetuated by a billion-dollar chemical cleaning industry which markets synthetically made
sanitation chemicals that are toxic to all living organisms. Mass production and consumption of sprays, powders,
and heavily concentrated liquid cleaners that use a wide range of toxic chemicals has been occurring now for
more than 75 years. How many millions of gallons of these toxic agents of death get used every day? How many
billions of gallons have polluted Earth since their discovery over 75 years ago?
Jessica Metcalf from the University of Colorado at Boulder has studied fossilized feces from Homo sapiens as
far back as 1 ,000 years and has discovered that they contain far more diverse gut bacteria. Another study, which
examined the gut microbial communities of the Hadza of western Tanzania, found that some dynamic lineages of
microbes have become less prevalent and abundant in some modernized populations. (530) These helpful
protective bacteria have been lost, most likely due to intensive hygiene practices, dietary changes, antibiotics,
and spending less time outdoors. Bacteria existed billions of years before Homo sapiens inhabited Earth, in fact
trillions of bacteria and other microbes live on and inside Homo sapiens creating an ecosystem in essence. These
bacteria help in many ways from the immune system to the digestive tract. Isolation and separation from nature
could lead to future medical issue by not allowing for the development of natural immunity. Attempting to kill
bacteria seem to have only made them stronger and more resistant to chemicals and drugs, while also making
them even more deadly. Homo sapiens have a natural immunity to many germs and the immune system can
actually weaken overtime with less exposure to natural occurring bacteria. So why then do so many Homo
sapiens have an extreme fear of all bacteria and think that they must be eradicated because they are a sign of
germs and filth that will cause disease?
By attempting to isolate nature and Homo sapiens pseudo perfected world from each other, all Homo sapiens
have done is pollute the Earth with unnecessary and unnatural chemicals in their attempt to sterilize everything.
Ultimately, having no real impact on the bacteria as it has adapted and become stronger, evolving faster than
Homo sapiens futile attempts to eradicate it. Germaphobes and perfectionists certainly have made a negative
impact on the environment, usually with unwarranted fear while striving for an unattainable goal to create a
germ and dirt-free area by utilizing toxic chemicals, which in fact do more harm than good, especially when used
in such vast and frequent quantities. This mentality has led to consuming mass quantities of disinfectant sprays,
anti-bacterial soaps, hand sanitizers, and wipes in a futile attempt to sanitize everything. In most instances this
disinfection is unneeded, overused, and could easily be replaced by a natural Eco-friendly alternative when
needed. Natural bio-degradable alternatives like simple hot water, vinegar, baking soda, citrus, or other flora-
based cleansing solutions can be used just as effectively.
Another consumer cleaning consumption concern are the scrubbers, mops, and other cleaning tools, all of which
are made of synthetic plastics and when used flake off millions of microscopic plastic particle fragments that
ultimately end up in the water and soil. In addition, many dishes are made from plastic, Teflon, or another
synthetic chemical, and when cleaned microscopic particle fragments also flake off directly from the dishes and
other kitchenware. How much of a negative impact on Earth are all these chemicals and microscopic fragments
of plastic having? Could this antibacterial paranoia breed even more deadly bacteria resistant to even the most
powerful known anti-bacterial agents? How can all of these chemicals going into sewage sludge for possible
agricultural fertilizer, or directly into the soil and water of Earth be acceptable? Could dependence on these
products result in Homo sapiens natural immune system becoming less effective? Have Homo sapiens only
created more problems with their attempted sanitization solutions? Would one need so many antibacterial and
degreaser agents to clean dishes if they did not consume fatty fauna-based foods? How much excessive soap is
applied out of habit, when none is even necessary as hot water would work sufficiently (e.g. rinsing simple non¬
sticking foods like bread crumbs off a plate)?
Sunscreen, Tanning, Cosmetics, and Tattoos
A variety of toxic ingredients like, p-Aminobenzoic acid, phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid, benzophenone-3,
and titanium dioxide are used to make most sunscreens. A study which sampled the U.S. general population > 6
years of age found that 96.8% of participants had benzophenone-3 in their urine sample. (420) Chemicals used in
sunscreen have also been found to awaken dormant coral viruses causing the coral to become sick and often die.
An estimated 4,000 to 6,600 tons of sunscreen are washed off in oceans, lakes, and rivers polluting these aquatic
ecosystems and can also kill the florae and faunae which inhabit them. (418) A 2014 report conducted by
researchers in Spain on sunscreen as a source of hydrogen peroxide production stated,
“Sunscreens have been shown to give the most effective protection for human skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Chemicals
from sunscreens (i.e., UV filters) accumulate in the sea and have toxic effects on marine organisms. In this report, we
demonstrate that photoexcitation of inorganic UV filters (i.e., TiCb and ZnO nanoparticles) under solar radiation produces
significant amounts of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a strong oxidizing agent that generates high levels of stress on marine
phytoplankton. Our results indicate that the inorganic oxide nanoparticle content in 1 g of commercial sunscreen produces
rates of H2O2 in seawater of up to 463 nM/h, directly affecting the growth of phytoplankton. Conservative estimates for a
Mediterranean beach reveal that tourism activities during a summer day may release on the order of 4 kg of Ti02
nanoparticles to the water and produce an increment in the concentration of H2O2 of 270 nM/day. Our results, together with
the data provided by tourism records in the Mediterranean, point to Ti02 nanoparticles as the major oxidizing agent entering
coastal waters, with direct ecological consequences on the ecosystem.” (419)
Not only does sunscreen destroy aquatic ecosystems and the biota within these ecosystems, it does not even truly
protect the skin, because ultimately the toxic chemicals are washed off, or they are absorbed through the skin
potentially causing health issues. Would it not be more logical to stay out of the sunlight during peak exposure
hours, or use an umbrella and tan with non-direct sunlight? Is an ever-fading aesthetical tan worth destroying
aquatic ecosystems and getting skin cancer? Why aren't eco-friendly ingredients like almond oil, coconut oil, red
raspberry seed oil, carrot seed oil, shea butter, or other flora-based ingredients used instead which naturally
contain a sun protection factor (SPF)?
Since the late 1970s, some Homo sapiens have practiced indoor tanning with tanning beds which emit ultraviolet
radiation, and can potentially cause skin cancer, weakening of the immune system, and skin aging. Other Homo
sapiens practice sunless tanning by utilizing a variety of potentially toxic ingredients like carotenoids, lycopene,
beta-carotene, canthaxanthin, dihydroxyacetone, temporary bronzers, SlK-lnhibitors, tyrosine-based products,
melanotan peptide hormones, and other melanogenesis stimulants. There are also some in Asia, Africa and the
Middle East with dark skin pigmentation who reduce the content of melanin of their skin by utilizing a
concoction of potentially toxic chemicals, either internally in the form of prescription medication, or externally
in the form of a skin cream. Is the aesthetical appearance of having light or dark skin worth the possible negative
medical side-effects and environmental impacts? Does changing skin color really make you a different race or
ethnicity? If a Caucasian, Asian, African, or Indian alters their skin color, does it change what race or ethnicity
they originated from or their true physical characteristics, is this not actually in the deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA)?
Coiporations, entertainment, and even some members of society itself promote an image of artificially created
beauty, one made up of synthetic toxic chemicals which consist of cosmetics, clothing, diet products, surgery,
and other related beauty products and services. Consumers are made to think they can look like the model who is
used to market the products or services through advertisements, and most will never achieve this impossible
unrealistic image which is based mainly around narcissism and profits. Why can’t Homo sapiens simply be
themselves as they are when they are bom without additions and modifications? Are not all Homo sapiens
naturally beautiful, even with all their so called physical flaws, and more especially without all the artificial
additions? Why does society say to be what you want and not what you are, shouldn’t one be encouraged to want
to be who they really are and the way nature made them, and not the way someone else tries to make them,
which is often based on what is currently trending or deemed acceptable? For thousands of years florae and even
the Earth itself was used to create cosmetics, today most cosmetics are made of toxic synthetic chemicals. How
much nail polish, perfume, make-up, hair dye, hairspray, hair gel, and other cosmetics made with toxic chemicals
are used daily only to wash off and pollute the water and soils of Earth?
Millions of Homo sapiens have tattoos, and although there are non-metallic less toxic sources available which
are also more eco-friendly, most tattoo ink which used is derived from toxic ingredients like mercury, lead,
cadmium, nickel, zinc, chromium, cobalt, aluminum, titanium, copper, iron, barium, ferrocyanide and
ferricyanide, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, calcium, lithium, selenium, sulfur, para-phenylenediamine, and
polymethylmethacrylate. After death these toxic elements are released into the atmosphere or soils of Earth.
Fashion
Fast fashion is the new business model of the fashion industry, and it is about promoting a rapidly changing style
for profits and based on how many units can be cheaply made and sold, and not about quality, functionality, and
durability. One can watch Andrew Morgan's 2015 documentary 'The True Cost' for a good perspective on the fast
fashion issue. When no longer wanted, much of this fashion is not recycled and is instead discarded into
landfills. In the United States alone, about 24,510,000 tons of rubber, leather and textiles were discarded into
landfills in 2014. (599) How many billions of pairs of shoes are bought each year and rarely worn? How much
fashion is too much? Does one really need so many outfits and other fashion accessories, 50 t-shirts, 30 pairs of
socks, or 20 pairs of shoes?
All clothing, footwear, and other fashion accessories were made entirely from durable hemp, bamboo, cotton,
linen, or other natural 100% bio-degradable flora fibers, stones, or other natural materials until around 100 years
ago. Now most is made with synthetic fibers like polyamide, acrylic, and polyester, while using toxic chemicals
for dyes, all of which pollutes the Earth when washed and ultimately when discarded. In the United States, there
are 22,000 dry cleaners most of which use toxic chemicals, excessive energy, and water resources. Dry cleaners,
individual washing machines, and other methods to wash clothes often produce a toxic sludge containing dyes,
microscopic fragments of synthetic fibers, toxic chemicals from detergents, and other residues. Is polluting the
Earth with toxic laundry detergents necessary when so many natural flora-based alternatives are available?
Dry Cleaning Methods
Cleaning Agent
Description
Perchloroethylene
(tetrachloroethylene)
Perchloroethylene (tetrachloroethylene) has been in use since the 1940s. Perc is the most common
solvent, the “standard” for cleaning performance. It is a most aggressive cleaner. It can cause color
bleeding/loss, especially at higher temperatures, and may damage special trims, buttons, and beads on
some garments. Better for oil-based stains (which account for about 10% of stains) than more common
water-soluble stains (coffee, wine, blood, etc.). Known for leaving a characteristic chemical smell on
garments. Nonflammable. Perc is becoming less popular due to its ground contamination problems and
potential
health effects. Perc, however, was incidentally the first chemical to be classified as a carcinogen by the
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon is most like standard dry cleaning but the processes use hydrocarbon solvents such as
Exxon-Mobil's DF-2000 or Chevron Phillips' EcoSolv. These petroleum-based solvents are less
aggressive than perc and require a longer cleaning cycle. Although combustible, these solvents do not
present a high risk of fire or explosion when used properly. Hydrocarbon also contains volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) that contribute to smog. Pure Diy is another brand.
D i bu to xyme thane
Dibutoxymethane is a product offered by Kreussler. It is sold under the trade name SolvonK4. It is a
bipolar solvent that removes water based stains and oil based stains. SolvonK4 is considered to be one
of the best replacements solvents for perc as cleaning performance is very similar.
Liquid silicone
Liquid silicone (decamethylcyclopentasiloxane or D5) is gentler on garments than perc and does not
(decamethylcyclopentasiloxane
or D5)
cause color loss. It is licensed by GreenEarth Cleaning. Though more environmentally friendly, it is
more expensive. Degrades within days in the environment to silicon dioxide and trace amounts of
water and CO2. Produces nontoxic, nonhazardous waste. Toxicity tests by Dow Coming shows the
solvent to increase the incidence of tumors in female rats (no effects were seen in male rats), but further
research concluded that the effects observed in rats are not relevant to humans because the biological
pathway that results in tumor fonnation is unique to rats. (170.6 °F/77 °C flash point).
Brominated solvents n-Propyl
bromide (Fabrisolv, DrySolv)
Brominated solvents n-Propyl bromide (Fabrisolv, DrySolv) is a solvent with a higher KB-value than
Perc. This allows it to clean faster, but it can damage some synthetic beads and sequins if not used
correctly. Flealth-wise, there are reported risks associated with 11PB such as numbness of nerves. The
exposure to the solvents in a typical dry cleaner is considered far below the levels required to cause any
risk. Environmentally, it is approved by the U.S. EPA as an alternative to hazardous solvents used in
the past. It is among the more expensive solvents, but due its faster cleaning, lower temperatures, and
quick dry times, it’s considered to have the same or lower costs overall for the entire process.
Supercritical CO2
Consumer Reports rated this method superior to conventional methods, but the Diycleaning and
Laundry Institute commented on its “fairly low cleaning ability” in a 2007 report. Another industry
certification group, America’s Best Cleaners, counts CO2 cleaners among its members. Machinery is
expensive — up to $90,000 more than a perc machine, making affordability difficult for small
businesses. Some cleaners with these machines keep traditional machines on-site for the heavier soiled
textiles, but others find plant enzymes to be equally effective and more environmentally sustainable.
CCh-cleaned clothing does not off-gas volatile compounds. CO2 cleaning is also used for fire- and
water-damage restoration due to its effectiveness in removing toxic residues, soot and associated odors
of fire. The environmental impact is very low. Carbon dioxide is almost entirely nontoxic, it does not
persist in clothing or in the environment, and its greenhouse gas potential is lower than that of many
organic solvents.
Glycol ethers (dipropylene
glycol tertiary-butyl ether)
(Rynex, Solvair, Caled
Impress)
Glycol ethers (dipropylene glycol tertiary-butyl ether) (Rynex, Solvair, Caled Impress) is a proposed an
environmentally friendly competitor with perc with processing advantaged. However these solvents are
generally a blended product and not pure like GreenEarth or SolvonK4.
SOURCE: Wikipedia (with some corrections, additions, and other edits)
Paint
Until around 150 years ago all paints were 100% natural and biodegradable, but now paints are usually made
with a variety of mostly synthetic toxic chemicals like: volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polyesters, alkyds,
epoxy, acrylics, vinyl-acrylics, vinyl acetate/ethylene (VAE), polyurethanes, melamine resins, silanes, siloxanes,
and other toxic chemicals. In 2015, global paint sales were 37,270,000 tons, or around 8,926,946,108 gallons,
which were used for the architectural, industrial, and special purpose coatings markets. (587) How many billions
of gallons of toxic paint have been used in the world over the last 150 years? How much lead paint was used
when it was the industry standard? How much paint flakes off everyday releasing toxic chemicals into the
environment? Why isn’t a more natural and bio-degradable paint used instead? For more than 30,000 years,
Homo sapiens used stone, mica, glass, and other natural materials to create glitter used in art, cosmetics, and
other products. Then, in 1934, synthetic plastic glitter was invented, and although there are now even more
methods of creating natural bio-degradable glitter, millions of pounds of synthetic plastic glitter are used each
year instead, which ultimately flakes off and pollutes the Earth.
Cities
In most cities there is far less vegetation and natural landscape, so most of the sun’s energy is instead absorbed
by buildings and asphalt which leads to higher surface temperatures. How much do these urban heat islands
contribute to global warming? How much energy is wasted, and pollution is generated through using more air
conditioning because of urban heat islands? How many thousands of residents have died during heat waves as a
result of living within an urban heat island? Could not solar panels be designed to replace traditional roof tiles
and shingles so that this heat energy could be absorbed and utilized instead? Could not glass windows be
replaced with a solar panel type glass to harness even more energy? Could urban heat islands be eliminated
entirely by simply planting flora on rooftops, thus reducing surface temperatures while also providing residents
with fresh fruits and vegetables? Will more cities continue to greenify areas allowing for more coexistence with
nature?
0 55
SOURCE: NASA - Impervious surfaces which include pavement surfaces like roads, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, airports, ports
and other distribution centers, etc. cover a large percentage of urban land area. The map above shows increasing percentage of impervious
surfaces in darker shades of pink. Among the data used to identify impervious surfaces are satellite observations of city lights at night.
(Map by Robert Simmon, based on data from Chris Elvidge, NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.)
https://earthobservatorv.nasa.gov/Features/Lawn/lawn2.pliD
Vast portions of the Earth have been, and are still, being permanently sealed as a result of city expansion, with
most cities sealing 70% or more of the municipality areas with buildings, roads, sidewalks, parking lots, and
other structures. In the wake of this invasion, millions of faunae and florae have perished as a result of habitat
destruction, and many species having been extirpated. In 2013, the CIA estimated there were 64,285,009 km or
39,944,852 miles of paved and unpaved roads in the world. (474) These roads have sealed portions of the Earth
while also fragmenting habitats and disrupting migration routes for some migrating species. These roads also
allow rainwater and snowmelt runoff to easily collect oil, heavy metals, trash, road salt, and other toxic
chemicals, and then transport them into the hydrosphere. In addition, when the rainwater falls onto hard city
surfaces, the water runs off and is taken away by rivers and the water never reaches the ground to replenish the
water table, ultimately resulting in the many areas becoming drier and drier.
City infrastructures are built and maintained with collected taxes, yet many lack even the most basic
maintenance, and when there are budget problems because of poor management it is the citizens which
ultimately pay the price and suffer. When so many cities where struggling during the 2008 financial crisis,
educational services like library hours were the first to see cutbacks, city workers were laid off, recreation
programs were slashed, and some cities even cut other vital services like police and fire protection and trash
service. Some cities around the world either charge for restroom access or do not even offer a public restroom,
forcing their citizens to urinate and defecate on the city sidewalks when they can no longer wait or have no other
option. In addition to paying taxes, tolls and parking meters levy a charge to drive and park on certain roads.
Many city streets around the world have fallen into ruin from lack of maintenance, as the money which is
collected in the form of taxes and which is supposed to be spent wisely on services for the citizens and the
maintenance of the city’s infrastructure, are diverted and spent on other useless things, or they are stolen by
greedy politicians and their business associates in the form of a $435 claw hammer or a $437 measuring tape
(546) with little or no consequences. How can the federal government and most states say that parks and other
protected areas of nature are for the citizens and belong to the citizens and yet charge for access to them?
Shouldn't tax dollars be used for maintaining parks and allow access to all for free?
SOURCE: NASA - For more than four decades, Landsat satellites have collected images of Shanghai. This series from Landsat 5, 7, and 8
shows the city’s growing footprint between 1984 and 2016. Developed areas appear gray and white; farmland and forests are green;
shallow, sediment-filled water is tan. https://earthobservatorv.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/shanghai.php
SOURCE: NASA - In 1984, the core of the city was centered on the west bank of the Huangpu River, a manmade tributary of the Yangtze
River. Since then, Shanghai has expanded in all directions, filling in what had mainly been farmland with new housing, factories,
shopping, parking lots, and roads. Pudong, the once rural district west of Huangpu River, now has a population of more than 5 million
people and is home to some of Shanghai’s tallest and most iconic buildings. Unlike the images at the top of the page, each of which
captures one day roughly every five years, these "best-pixel mosaics" are made up of small parts of many images captured over five-year
periods. The first image is a mosaic of scenes captured between 1984 and 1988; the second shows the best pixels captured between 2013
and 2017. This technique makes it possible to strip away clouds and haze, which are common in Shanghai.
https://earthobservatorv.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/shanghai.php
March 14, 1991
March 2, 2016
Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Missions Gallery; “New Delhi Among Fastest Growing Urban Areas in the World;” U.S.
Department of the Interior / USGS and NASA. Images taken by the Thematic Mapper on board Landsat 5 and the Operational Land
Imager onboard Landsat 8. Urban expansion in New Delhi, India March 14, 1991 - March 2, 2016 Between the times these two images
were taken, the population of India’s capital and its suburbs (known collectively as “Delhi”) ballooned from 9.4 million to 25 million. It is
now second in population only to Tokyo, which has 38 million people. The United Nations Report on World Urbanization projects that
Delhi will have 37,000,000 residents by 2030.
SOURCE: NASA - To expand the possibilities for beachfront tourist development, Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates, undertook a
massive engineering project to create hundreds of artificial islands along its Persian Gulf coastline. Built from sand dredged from the sea
floor and protected from erosion by rock breakwaters, the islands were shaped into recognizable forms, including two large palm trees.
The first Palm Island constructed was Palm Jumeirah, and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer
(ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite observed its progress from 2000 to 2011. In these false-color images, bare ground appears brown,
vegetation appears red, water appears dark blue, and buildings and paved surfaces appear light blue or gray.
littps://earthobservatorv.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/dubai.php
May 1, 2014
Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Missions Gallery "Huang He Delta and Lauzhou Bay," U.S. Department of the Interior /
USGS and NASA. Images taken by the Thematic Mapper onboard Landsat 5 and the Operational Land Imager onboard Landsat 8. Huang
He (Yellow) delta growth, China May 1, 1985 - May 1, 2014 China's Huang He (Yellow) River is the most sediment-filled river on Earth.
Each year, it transports millions of tons of soil from a plateau it crosses to a delta it has built in the Bohai Sea. These images show the
delta's growth from 1985 to 2014. The latter image also shows another change: ponds that hold shrimp and other seafood (seen here as
dark geometric shapes along the coastline) were built on what were once tidal flats.
Water Consumption, Desertification, and Surface Water and Groundwater Depletion
In 2017, it was estimated that 70% of world water consumption is from agricultural related activities, 19% is
consumed for industrial related purposes, and 11% is consumed by municipalities. (352) The majority of the
agricultural water consumption is from livestock agriculture, which uses far more than flora-based agriculture as
can be seen in the previous table Average Water Consumption for Meat and Dairy Production. By reducing or
ultimately eliminating meat and dairy consumption, water consumption could be drastically reduced, while also
producing less contaminated water through use. Better water management practices from the individual to the
commercial level would also help to ensure water is not wasted and instead goes towards a positive use. Since
the 1990’s, the Delaware Aqueduct, which provides half of New York City’s municipal water, has been leaking
between 15,000,000 to 35,000,000 gallons of water per day. In 2010, the city announced a plan to address the
leaks and construction is expected to continue through the year 2021. (355) Why has the government known
about this leak and yet allowed it to persist for so long? Why has this waste of such a precious resource like
water been tolerated? How much water is lost from millions of leaky faucets constantly dripping?
Good tasting drinkable water is not freely available in the vast majority of cities around the world because of
either a contaminated source, improper treatment, or old deteriorating pipes. A 2009 Associated Press
investigation about pharmaceuticals in America’s drinking water, found a variety of pharmaceuticals which
included antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones in the drinking water supplies of at
least 41,000,000 Americans in two dozen major American metropolitan areas. (615) Drinking water has become
just another industry in which many thirsty Homo sapiens must resort to a commercial company in order to
obtain properly purified, good quality tasting water from a reliable source. In 2015, global bottled water
consumption was 87,000,000,000 gallons. (506) If one brews coffee or tea utilizing tap water from an ordinary
sink, versus commercially filtered spring water there usually is a vast difference in taste between the two. And an
even greater taste difference between water consumed from an old plastic container which has absorbed liquid
odors over time versus a glass vessel. Have Homo sapiens drank from plastic containers so much they no longer
notice this taste difference? Why should citizens be forced to buy bottled water and purification systems using
more plastic and creating more waste, shouldn't the water be clean directly from the pipes and ultimately from
the sources the municipalities tap? How can a municipality collect taxes and still charge citizens a monthly fee
for water while also delivering such poor-quality water?
Since the 1950’s, water fluoridation, adding fluoride to the municipal water supply, has been a forced medical
treatment by governments on the population in an attempt to reduce cavities. Today it is forced on citizens of 25
countries around the world by medicating the water of 435,000,000 Homo sapiens, most of whom have no idea
their water has been tainted, and none of whom have given consent for this medical treatment. In some
municipalities, excessive amounts of fluoride have been added which has led to overfluoridation in some of the
population causing severe dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, and weakened bones. Does this forced medical
procedure really even work, as there were still around 175,000,000 filling operations every year in the United
States alone? (54) (How can governments, based on the recommendations of just a few doctors, unethically force
this medical treatment on their citizens? Can citizens not obtain adequate levels of fluoride from fresh fruits and
vegetables that also contain calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, niacin, folic acid, B12, B2, B6, zinc, vitamin
A, vitamin C, and vitamin E, which also promote healthy teeth and gums? Would not promoting better dietary
habits and dental hygiene perhaps be equally, if not more effective?
Around 10,000,000 homes and buildings in the United States receive water from service lines that are at least
partially lead pipes. (199) In the United States, from 1999 to 2010, an estimated 1,200,000 children aged 12
months to 5 years old had elevated blood lead levels with 607,000 cases reported to the CDC. (339) Why are lead
pipes still used when they can possibly cause lead poisoning which is fatal and irreversible? Why has such a
known and easily preventable toxic exposure issue been allowed to continue in a nation which has the
technology and financial ability to so easily correct it?
May 15, 1984
Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Missions Gallery; Lake Mead Reaches Historic Low; U.S. Department of the Interior /
USGS and NASA. Images taken by the Thematic Mapper on board Landsat 5 and the Operational Land Imager onboard Landsat 8. Lake
Mead at record low May 15, 1984 - May 23, 2016 Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S., has fallen to the lowest level since it
began filling in the 1930s, the result of 16 years of drought in the Colorado River Basin. The 1984 image shows the lake nearly full,
compared to 37 percent full in the 2016 image. Lake Mead supplies water to 25 million people, including virtually all of Las Vegas and
farms, tribes and businesses in Arizona, California, Nevada and northern Mexico. Also see this image pair.
SOURCE: NASA - The Colorado River flows from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado through the southwestern United States. Along its
route, the river passes through an elaborate water-management system designed to tame the yearly floods from spring snowmelt and to
provide a reliable supply of water for residents as far away as California. The system is appreciated for the water it supplies, but criticized
for the environmental problems and cultural losses that have resulted from its creation.
Among the dams on the Colorado is Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam, which creates Lake Powell. The deep, narrow, meandering reservoir
extends upstream into southern Utah. In the early 21st century, this modem marvel of engineering faced an ancient enemy: prolonged
drought in the American Southwest. Combined with water withdrawals that many believe are not sustainable, the drought has caused a
dramatic drop in Lake Powell’s water level.
Global warming is expected to make droughts more severe in the future. Even in “low emission” climate scenarios (forecasts that are
based on the assumption that future carbon dioxide emissions will increase relatively slowly), models predict precipitation may decline by
20-25 percent over most of California, southern Nevada, and Arizona by the end of this century. Precipitation declines combined with
booming urban populations will present a significant challenge to Western water managers in the near future.
https://earthobservatorv.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/lake powell.php
April 12, 2013
January 15, 2016
Source: NASA Earth Observatory - Images taken by the Operational Land Imager onboard Landsat 8 - Drying Lake Poopo, Bolivia April
12, 2013 - January 15, 2016 Lake Poopo, Bolivia’s second-largest lake and an important fishing resource for local communities, has dried
up once again because of drought and diversion of water sources for mining and agriculture. The last time it dried was in 1994, after
which it took several years for water to return and even longer for ecosystems to recover. In wet times, the lake has spanned an area
approaching 1,200 square miles (3,000 square kilometers). Its shallow depth — typically no more than 9 feet (3 meters) — makes it
particularly vulnerable to fluctuations.
Overuse and prolonged droughts resulting from shifting weather patterns caused by global warming, have both
contributed to major water level decreases in some lakes and other bodies of water throughout the world.
Desertification is usually a natural occurring event caused by climate shifts, but in recent decades it has been
attributed to anthropogenic activities in the ecosystem, mainly overgrazing, agriculture, and deforestation which
have ultimately led to land exhaustion. The Aral Sea was once the fourth largest lake in the world, but now,
because of anthropogenic activities and ultimately overuse, it is now a dry toxic barren wasteland from all the
pesticides, fertilizers, and microbiological warfare experiments. And the once natural dust storms of the past, are
now literally toxic dust storms blowing these toxic elements around. A dam and over-exploitation by means of
irrigation to grow food crops and cotton, a high water consuming crop, in an arid climate has resulted in the lake
literally disappearing within 37 years, along with the flora and fauna species, some no doubt endemic. Mark
Synnott in the June 2015 National Geographic Magazine stated,
"Besides toxic levels of sodium chloride, the dust is laced with pesticides such as DDT, hexachlorocyclohexane, toxaphene,
and phosalone — all known carcinogens. The chemicals have worked their way into every level of the food chain.
Today Karakalpakstan registers esophageal cancer rates 25 times as high as the world average. Multidrug-resistant
tuberculosis is a major problem, and respiratory diseases, cancers, birth defects, and immunological disorders are widespread.
Perhaps even more frightening is the revelation that the Aral Sea once was home to a secret Soviet biological weapons testing
facility. Located on Vozrozhdeniya Island — which, now that the sea is gone, is no longer an island — the facility was the main
test site for the Soviet military’s Microbiological Warfare Group. Thousands of animals were shipped to the island, where
they were subjected to anthrax, smallpox, plague, brucellosis, and other biological agents.
When the Aral was healthy, the water was brackish, with a salinity level of 10 grams per liter (the world’s oceans range from
33 to 37 grams per liter). Today the salinity exceeds 110 grams per liter, making it deadly to every species of fish."
The Aral Sea is yet another chapter in the history of Homo sapiens destructive hand on the fragile environment
of Earth, and the consequences of those actions. Will this lake ever cover 26,000 square miles again? Possibly
over time with proper conservation, but the endemic species of florae and faunae that have may have already
become extinct will never return. How inhabitable is the area now or in the future to most florae or faunae
because of the salinity, fallout from the toxic fertilizers and pesticides that were used during the cotton farming,
and the remaining side effects of the microbiological warfare experiments?
SOURCE: NASA - Aral Sea in 1989 (left) and in 2008 (right) -
https://earthdata.nasa.gov/earth-observation-data/near-real-time/rapid-response
SOURCE: NASA - Overuse and other anthropogenic activities led to the rapid depletion of Lake Chad in Africa.
SOURCE: NASA - “Key reservoirs in South Africa’s Western Cape province have dropped to critical levels. At the start of
November 2017, Theewaterskloof reservoir, the largest in the province’s water supply system, had dropped to 27 percent of
capacity. Voelvlei, the second largest, was at 28 percent of capacity.
Following two successive dry years, the Western Cape government declared the province a disaster area in May 2017. With
the rainy season (April through September) now past, hopes that nature would ease the drought this year have faded.
The two satellite images above show Theewaterskloof before and during the drought. The top image was acquired on October
18, 2014, when the reservoir was at full capacity. The second image was collected on October 10, 2017, when it was at 27
percent capacity. Notice the tan “bathtub ring” of exposed sediment around the edges of the basin — an indication of lowered
water levels.” https://earthobservatorv.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=91217
September 24, 2011
September 20, 2016
SOURCE: NASA - “For more than 150 years, humans have been taking more water out of the Salt Lake watershed than is
flowing into it. They are now diverting about 40 percent of the river water (which would normally fill the lake) and using it
for farming, industry, and human consumption. In October 2016, the Great Salt Lake reached its lowest recorded level:
1277.5 meters (4, 191 .2 feet), averaged between the lake's north and south arms. Five years of drought in the American West
have contributed to the recent drop in the water line, as have higher-than-normal temperatures. But the region has seen dry
cycles before, and according to scientists, there has not been a significant long-term change in precipitation in the basin.
Nonetheless, the volume of water in Great Salt Lake has shrunk by 48 percent and the lake level has fallen 3.4 meters (11
feet) since 1847.
In a white paper released in February 2016, Wurtsbaugh and colleagues described the impact of water development on the
Great Salt Lake. Using hydrogeologic data and models, the team found that river flow into the basin — from the Bear, Jordan,
and Weber rivers — has been reduced 39 percent since the middle of the 19th century. Water that once spread across roughly
4100 square kilometers (1,600 square miles) now covers just 2700 square kilometers (1,050 square miles). “The solution to
the water issue is greater conservation, particularly for agricultural irrigation,” said Wurtsbaugh. The state has been
promoting water conservation for urban and suburban areas, but this is only about 8 percent of water use. And while per
person water use is down by 1 8 percent, those gains are offset by a growing population that is increasing overall water use.
The hardest work lies in convincing farmers to do more with less, as approximately 63 percent of the water usage goes to
agriculture. Researchers and conservationists are also concerned about future plans for development along Bear River, the
largest tributary flowing to the lake. The loss of water in Great Salt Lake has led to more and larger dust storms in the area,
while making it harder for companies to get the water they need for extracting salt and other minerals, a key piece of the local
economy. Marinas and other water recreation operations are also struggling with the moving shoreline.” -
https://earthobservatorv.nasa. gov/IOTD/view.phn?id=88929
For thousands of years Homo sapiens have constructed simple wells and pumps to access groundwater, but over
the last 75 years technology has now allowed Homo sapiens to pump vast quantities of previously inaccessible
groundwater to the surface for use. If the water table is not allowed to be replenished because of sealed surface
areas and overuse, it will only become shallower and shallower until it eventually it becomes completely
exhausted. Throughout history, groundwater depletion has been an issue with some civilizations, the Maya
civilization may have perhaps collapsed in part as a result of groundwater depletion, and although an earthquake
initiated the cracking of the limestone beneath Ubar, the ancient fabled city was ultimately swallowed into the
Earth as a result of groundwater depletion. Nicholas Clapp wrote that,
“Over millennia, Ubar's great well had watered countless caravans and had been drawn upon to irrigate a sizable oasis.
Hadspan by handspan, its water had receded, and the limestone shelf on which the fortress rested became less and less stable,
for it was the water underneath Ubar that quite literally held the place up. If, as in legend, there was a severe drought - and
ever more reliance on a single, dwindling spring - the situation would have become critical.” (560)
SOURCE: NASA - “About one third of Earth’s large groundwater basins are being rapidly depleted by human consumption
even though we have scarce and inaccurate data about how much water remains in them, according to two new studies
published in June 2015 in Water Resources Research. This means significant segments of Earth’s population are consuming
groundwater without knowing when it might run out. “Groundwater is currently the primary source of freshwater for
approximately two billion people,” the researchers wrote. “Despite its importance, knowledge on the state of large
groundwater systems is limited as compared to surface water, largely because the cost and complexity of monitoring large
aquifer systems is often prohibitive.”
The map above shows the annual change in groundwater storage from 2003 to 2013 in the 37 largest aquifer systems in the
world. Basins shown in shades of brown have had more water extracted in the study years than could be naturally
replenished; basins in blue saw increases in underground water storage, perhaps due to changes in precipitation, ice or
permafrost melting, or changes in surface water. The multidisciplinary research team found that 13 of Earth’s 37 largest
aquifers are being depleted while receiving little to no recharge. Eight were classified as “overstressed,” with almost no
natural replenishment to offset usage, while the other five were found to be highly stressed, with that rate of extraction far
exceeding the little bit of natural replenishment. Climate change and population growth are expected to intensify the
problem.” - https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=86263&eocn=image&eoci=related image
Groundwater depletion related sinkholes have been observed in Florida (479), and land subsidence is occurring
worldwide because of groundwater depletion. Over the last 100 years, some areas and cities, like: the San
Joaquin Valley, Mexico City, Shanghai, New Orleans, Bangkok, Beijing, and others have been sinking as a result
of groundwater depletion. Groundwater depletion has also become widespread throughout the United States. The
USGS reported that,
“Atlantic Coastal Plain - In Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Long Island, New York, pumping water for domestic
supply has lowered the water table, reduced or eliminated the base flow of streams, and has caused saline
groundwater to move inland.
Many other locations on the Atlantic coast are experiencing similar effects related to groundwater depletion.
Surface-water flows have been reduced due to groundwater development in the Ipswich River basin,
Massachusetts. Saltwater intrusion is occurring in coastal counties in New Jersey; Hilton Head Island, South
Carolina; Brunswick and Savannah, Georgia; and Jacksonville and Miami, Florida.
Gulf Coastal Plain - Several areas in the Gulf Coastal Plain are experiencing effects related to groundwater
depletion: Groundwater pumping by Baton Rouge, Louisiana, increased more than tenfold between the 1930s
and 1970, resulting in groundwater-level declines of approximately 200 feet. In the Houston, Texas, area,
extensive groundwater pumping to support economic and population growth has caused water-level declines of
approximately 400 feet, resulting in extensive land-surface subsidence of up to 10 feet. Continued pumping since
the 1920s by many industrial and municipal users from the underlying Sparta aquifer have caused significant
water-level declines in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The Memphis, Tennessee area is one of
the largest metropolitan areas in the world that relies exclusively on groundwater for municipal supply. Large
withdrawals have caused regional water-level declines of up to 70 feet.
High Plains - The High Plains aquifer (which includes the Ogallala aquifer) underlies parts of eight States and
has been intensively developed for irrigation. Since predevelopment, water levels have declined more than 100
feet in some areas and the saturated thickness has been reduced by more than half in others.
Pacific Northwest - Groundwater development of the Columbia River Basalt aquifer of Washington and Oregon
for irrigation, public-supply, and industrial uses has caused water-level declines of more than 100 feet in several
areas.
Desert Southwest - Increased groundwater pumping to support population growth in south-central Arizona
(including the Tucson and Phoenix areas) has resulted in water-level declines of between 300 and 500 feet in
much of the area. Land subsidence was first noticed in the 1940s and subsequently as much as 12.5 feet of
subsidence has been measured. Additionally, lowering of the water table has resulted in the loss of streamside
vegetation.
Chicago-Milwaukee area - Chicago has been using groundwater since at least 1864 and groundwater has been
the sole source of drinking water for about 8.2 million people in the Great Lakes watershed. This long-term
pumping has lowered groundwater levels by as much as 900 feet.” (480)
Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 1972,1:2,000 000
Albers Equal-Area Conic Projection
Standard parallels 30 N and 45* 30 N, central mericfcan 96‘ 00 W
Figure 2. Map of the United States (excluding Alaska) showing cumulative groundwater depletion, 1900 through 2008, in 40 assessed
aquifer systems or subareas. Index numbers are defined in table 1. Colors are hatched in the Dakota aquifer (area 39) where the aquifer
overlaps with other aquifers having different values of depletion.
March 31, 1987
December 7, 2000 + May 16, 2001
SOURCE: NASA - “The Amistad Reservoir is located on the Rio Grande along the border of the United States and Mexico.
Combined with the Falcon Reservoir downstream of it, Amistad regulates the flow of the Rio Grande for downstream users.
Combined, these two reservoirs are running around thirty-three percent of foil capacity, the lowest levels recorded since they
were first constructed in the 1960s. During the summer of 2002, it was possible to walk across the mouth of the Rio Grande
without getting wet: where the river normally met the sea at the Gulf of Mexico, there was only a dry, sandy beach. U.S.
border patrol officers placed an orange nylon fence in what should have been the riverbed to discourage unintended
international beach strolls.
This pair of Landsat images of the Amistad International Water Reservoir shows the changes in the lake level between 1987
and 2000. The early image in the spring of 1987 shows a healthy supply of water behind the dam. But by late 2000, water
levels had dropped dramatically. This trend has continued and even intensified since these images were acquired. The reduced
water levels are the result of a combination of forces on the water supply. First and foremost is that the area is in the midst of
a major sustained drought in which, year after year, land in the drainage basin of the upper Rio Grande has received little in
the way of rain or snow. Water deliveries from tributaries in northern Mexico have been well below historical norms for the
past decade.
In addition, population in the area has been growing at extraordinary rates. Factories in northern Mexico just across the
border have blossomed, bringing people into the area for jobs. In 1970, not long after the Amistad and Falcon international
water reservoirs were completed, the population of the lower Rio Grande valley was estimated to be around 1.1 million. In
2003, it is roughly 2.2 million. The population has doubled in just over thirty years. This trend is expected to continue with a
population of roughly 4.9 million anticipated by 2030. But while the population had grown, the water supply has not. The
prioritization system for water use in the valley puts municipal needs first. This system has greatly affected agriculture.
Between 1997 and 2001, agricultural water supply was reduced by 42% compared to the five years prior. Over a hundred
thousand acres of agricultural land have been taken out of production in Cameron and Hidalgo counties since 1992 for lack of
water to irrigate them.
Normally, the water released from the reservoir for agricultural maintains the flow of water to the municipal users
downstream. But when the agricultural releases are restricted, water flows above and beyond the municipal demands are
needed just to maintain the river flow to the cities' water intakes. Further complicating the water situation, water weed
infestations clog the waterways and restrict flow, requiring still greater volumes of water to be released from upstream to get
the river water to its destinations. In Matamoros, the river level has actually fallen below the city's intake pipes, while in
Brownsville last year, the local water authority had to clear clogged weeds off the intake grates. A final environmental insult
of the low water levels is the concentration of pollutants and runoff contaminants in the water. Wildlife that depends on the
river, from birds to shrimp, has been adversely affected.” -
https://earthobservatorv.nasa. gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3739&eocn=image&eoci=related image
Wastewater and Sewage Sludge
Between all the clothes, automobiles, dishes, homes, and even Homo sapiens themselves, Earth's hydrosphere
not only helps to wash these things, but it also transfers the enormous amount of dirt, bacteria, toxic chemicals,
and other things that Homo sapiens come in contact with daily to Earth's other spheres and the ecosystems
within these spheres, (e.g. motor oil from the clothes of auto mechanic to the hair product chemicals of a
hairstylist, most all professions expose the worker to some sort of toxic chemicals, these chemicals can be
transferred to the workers clothing and then to the hydrosphere when doing laundry) Additional toxic chemicals
are further added during the cleaning process by means of a cleanser or soap product, very few of which are
biodegradable or natural and are fatal if ingested by living organisms.
Over 80% of the world’s wastewater containing raw sewage, chemicals, agricultural runoff, and other toxically
discarded wastewater, is released into the environment without treatment contaminating aquatic ecosystems.
(353) In 2012, an estimated 1,800,000,000 Homo sapiens globally used a source of drinking water that was
faecally contaminated. (354) flow can the western world be utilizing so much clean water on things like washing
an automobile, maintaining a golf course, swimming pool, or aesthetically pleasing lawn, while at the same time
1,800,000,000 globally are drinking faecally contaminated water?
7,300,000,000 Homo sapiens produce an enormous amount of feces, urine, and wastewater from cleaning. Some
of this waste is treated by a wide range of methods, and the by-product is sewage sludge. Eleavy amounts of
hormones, steroids, prescription drugs (mainly antidepressants and antihistamines) (6), nutritional supplements,
lead, silver, arsenic, copper, chromium, cadmium, and other toxic chemicals are present in the sewage sludge of
the United States and many other industrialized nations. In short, anything excreted by Homo sapiens or any
products which are used and then go down the drain ends up composing sewage sludge. Much of this treated
sewage sludge, called biosolid, is spread over or injected into soils and used as a fertilizer on agricultural crops.
Studies have shown that florae bioaccumulate large quantities of heavy metals and toxic pollutants which are
then consumed by humans. (45) Why is this toxic waste being used on food crops? M. B. Kirkham states that,
“Industrialized sludges, of course, can contain high concentrations of trace elements. Source control with limits on discharges
of toxic trace elements is practiced by cities that use their sludge for agricultural purposes. But even the tightest source control
is unlikely to reduce the trace-element content much below the median value. This is because household products contain
trace elements. The trace elements likely to cause toxicities to plants in soils treated with large amounts (for example, 400 t
ha-1) of domestic sludge for a number of years (15 yr) are cadmium, copper, zinc, boron, and possibly nickel.
Cadmium is the element of most concern in sludge, because it poses the greatest threat to human health. Food obtained from
plants grown on sludge treated soil might contain concentrations of cadmium toxic to man and animals. Cadmium is used in
electroplating, pigments, chemicals, batteries, alloys, photographic supplies, fungicides, as well as other products. Even
though industrial sources of cadmium in sludge can be controlled, domestic sources cannot. For example, cigarette ends
flushed down toilets raises the cadmium concentration in sludge, because tobacco has a high concentration of cadmium.” (5)
Sewage sludge can also have an effect on soil organisms, and like most other pollution on Earth it can very
easily enter the food chain as Kirkham further points out in writing,
“One result of sludge disposal on land is an increase in earthworms. Trace elements also can accumulate in earthwonns that
live in polluted soils, thereby entering the food chain, when birds eat the wonns.” (5)
A 20 1 7 assessment of irrigated croplands being influenced by urban wastewater flows stated,
“When urban areas expand without concomitant increases in wastewater treatment capacity, vast quantities of wastewater are
released to surface waters with little or no treatment. Downstream of many urban areas are large areas of irrigated croplands
reliant on these same surface water sources. Case studies document the widespread use of untreated wastewater in irrigated
agriculture, but due to the practical and political challenges of conducting a true census of this practice, its global extent is not
well known except where reuse has been planned.. .This study found that 65% (35.9 Mha) of downstream irrigated croplands
were located in catchments with high levels of dependence on urban wastewater flows. These same catchments were home to
1.37 billion urban residents.
Our analysis provides the first spatially-explicit global estimates of the extent to which irrigated croplands are influenced by
wastewater, both treated and untreated, finding 35.9 Mha of irrigated croplands located in wastewater dependent catchments
(RFR > 20%), of which 82% (29.3 Mha) are located in countries where less than 75% of wastewater is treated. 86% of these
irrigated croplands were located in five countries: China, India, Pakistan, Mexico, and Iran.” (402)
A 20 17 evaluation of 2003 to 2013 FDA collected and assayed data found that 20% of baby food samples, and
14% of other food samples had detectable levels of lead. (440) While the FDA has acceptable limits for lead
exposure, the CDC clearly states,
“Protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. No safe blood lead level in
children has been identified. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay
attention, and academic achievement. And effects of lead exposure cannot be corrected.” (441)
Why does lead and other toxic chemicals have acceptable levels of ingestion or exposure? If something is toxic
should not the acceptable level of ingestion or exposure be 0 and nothing more?
Golf Courses
Farge amounts of land have been converted into golf courses, with each course occupying between 100 and 200
acres. In March 2015, there were 34,01 1 golf courses in the world along with almost 700 additional golf courses
either under construction or in the advanced planning stages. Most of these golf courses, were located within the
United States, Japan, Canada, England, Australia, Germany, France, Scotland, South Africa, and Sweden. (18)
The environmental impact of these courses can be considerable, from the destruction of the ecosystem when
creating the golf course, to using harmful fertilizers and pesticides for maintenance. Further impacts can be felt
when billions of gallons of water are used each year to sustain the pristine green grass, with the typical golf
course using between 100,000 and 1,000,000 gallons of water per day during the summer. (209)
Artificial Snow
In the 1950s, snowmaking technology was developed which allowed for artificial snow in places where once no
ski resort could have been before, in fact without this technology many ski resorts throughout the world would
not exist. Artificial snow was used extensively during the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. Currently there are
around 5,500 ski resorts in the world, and many of them are in areas which now have warmer winters, so they
have begun to rely even more heavily on artificial snow. With global warming there will most likely be far less
snow in the future, and in some areas perhaps even none at all forcing resorts to rely even more on artificial
snow. Snowmaking utilizes vast amounts of water and energy resources and there are also severe impacts on
mountain ecosystems. It takes 106 gallons of water to produce one cubic meter of snow, and the average
snowmaking machine use about 107 gallons of water per minute. A significant amount of the water being used is
lost through evaporation and is never returned to the water table. The water used is often mineralized during the
snow making process which can potentially contaminate the soil and groundwater supply when the snow melts.
Swimming Pools and Hot Tubs
According to the CDC, there are 10,700,000 swimming pools and 7,300,000 hot tubs in the United States alone.
(34) It is estimated that swimming pools in the United States lose 150,000,000,000 gallons of water every year as
a result of evaporation. Many of these swimming pools are nothing more than an extreme waste of water as they
are infrequently used for swimming and are a nothing more than a symbol of social status or display of wealth.
Swimming pools and hot tubs consume an enormous amount of resources, from the energy is used for pumping
water and sometimes heating the water, to the water consumption from draining and cleaning the pool as well as
through natural evaporation. In addition, pools are also a toxic mix of chlorine and other chemicals which are
used to maintain the water and can potentially go into the soils and water table, or if not carefully measured can
cause chlorine toxicity to those swimming in the pool. Swimming pools can also act as disease incubators and
faunae can potentially drown in them or be affected negatively from the chemicals used in the pool. These
swimming pools and hot tubs also lock-up vast amounts of fresh water which has been tainted with chemicals,
with each swimming pool holding between 50,000 and 660,000 gallons of water and each hot tub holding around
400 gallons of water.
Watercraft
Worldwide, there are millions of commercial and recreational watercraft which have a negative impact on the
environment in various ways, such as carbon emissions, gasoline, oil, and other chemicals leaking into the water,
boat propellers and other collisions can injure and even kill marine faunae, and the landscape itself can be
damaged through fishing and from modifications to accommodate large watercraft. Motorized fishing and tour
boats that visit remote areas of nature are similar to off highway vehicles (OHV), in that they also pollute once
pristine aquatic ecosystems. In 2014, there were an estimated 4,600,000 fishing vessels worldwide, with 64% of
reported fishing vessels being engine -powered. (543) There were also 11,804,002 registered recreational
watercraft in the United States alone, in addition to the thousands of Navy and Coast Guard watercraft which
patrol the coastlines, oceans, and other waterways of the world.
As of 2017, there were more than 300 cruise ships operating around the world, with more than 22,100,000 Homo
sapiens going on cruise ships in 2014. (170) Since the year 2000, there have been 60 new cruise ships constructed
weighing more than 100,000 gross tonnes, with an additional 40 currently under construction. (169) Cruise ships
consume mass amounts of fuel and emit large amounts of carbon dioxide. Some cruise lines have been known to
intentionally pollute marine environments when they discharge sewage, grey water, oily bilge water, garbage, or
other hazardous waste while in port, but more especially while sailing in international waters where laws do not
apply. In April 2017, a United States federal judge issued the largest water pollution fine in U.S. history to
Princess Cruise Lines in the amount of $40,000,000 for dumping oil waste into the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of
Mexico bypassing the ship's filtration systems in an effort to save money. (344) Previously, from 1 996 to 200 1 , in
the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico, Carnival Cruise Lines dumped oily waste, and agreed to pay
a $18,000,000 fine in 2002. In 1999, Royal Caribbean plead guilty to similar charges and also paid a
$18,000,000 fine. (41 1 ) Why are these cruise lines allowed to repeatedly break the laws with little to no
consequences? When a company generates more than $8,000,000,000 in revenue, is an $18,000,000 fine really
going to deter future illegal activities?
In 2017, there were around 6,000 active cargo ships operating throughout the world, (249) most are powered by
massive diesel engines which operate 24/7 emitting atmospheric pollution, and like cruise ships they also have
the potential to discharge sewage, grey water, oily bilge water, garbage, and other hazardous waste. Another
impact of commercial ships is the anthropogenic noise generated, and over the last 150 years it has become so
intense that right whales may shift their call frequency to compensate for the increased band-limited background
noise. (531) Each year, cargo ships loose nearly 10,000 or more shipping containers, some containing thousands
and even millions of individual consumer products. (245) Can these containers not be made airtight, so they float
and be more securely attached to the shipping vessel? Can they not be outfitted with GPS to be salvaged, instead
of just left at sea to potentially release their cargo polluting the oceans and beaches? In 2013, there were 138
cargo ships which were beyond repair or recovery, either from fire, collision, mechanical failure, or other type of
accident, most became shipwrecks and now pollute an aquatic ecosystem. (493) How many thousands of other
commercial ships and recreational watercraft have sunk over the last 500 years and still pollute the ocean, a
river, lake, or other aquatic ecosystem, some even being ticking toxic time bombs waiting to release a toxic
substance?
In an attempt to impede the growth of barnacles, algae, and other marine organisms, most watercraft are coated
with anti-fouling paints which can contain cuprous oxide or other copper compounds, Teflon, silicon, and/or
other highly toxic pesticides. During the 1960s and 1970s, commercial vessels commonly used bottom paints
containing tributyltin, this highly toxic chemical had serious negative impacts on marine life, and it also led to
the collapse of some French shellfish fisheries. How many billions of marine organisms have died as a result of
using these toxic chemicals? Could not a more natural less toxic solution be developed and used instead? How
many billions of non-target marine organisms have also perished as a result of these toxic anti-fouling paints?
How many trillions of toxic microscopic particles from anti-fouling paints and other plastic fragments have
flaked off watercraft and now pollute the oceans, lakes, or rivers?
SOURCE: NASA - "No fishing activity causes more physical and ecological “collateral damage” than bottom trawling.
Fishing boats drag large nets across the sea floor, scooping up seafood from shrimp to squid. But in addition to their
harvesting of intended species, many trawls indiscriminately capture non-target species, like sea turtles, which are discarded.
Trawling crushes or destroys the seafloor habitat that feeds and shelters marine life; the nets literally scrape the mud off the
ocean bottom. As the mud resettles, it can smother surviving bottom-dwelling creatures.
The pervasiveness of the influence of bottom trawlers on the Gulf of Mexico is evident in these images from NASA’s
Landsat satellite. Showing two different areas of a single scene captured on October 24, 1999, the images reveal dozens of
mudtrails streaking the Gulf in the wake of numerous trawlers, which appear as white dots. The amount of re-suspended
sediment dredged up by the trawlers gives the water a cloudy appearance.” - https://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php7icR7751
Each year tankers, cargo ships, cruise ships, navy ships, yachts, fishing boats, whale watching vessels, or other
watercraft collide with whales, dolphins, sharks, seals, and other marine faunae and florae, some of them fatal
and many of the collisions often going unnoticed or unreported. (376) Since 2007, the International Whaling
Commission has been developing a global database of collisions between ships and whales, as of May 2016 the
database contained more than 1,200 incidents. In 2005, billionaire Jeff Greene's luxury yacht Summerwind
allegedly damaged a coral reed off the coast of Belize And although the incident was well documented but still
denied, neither Greene or the captain were criminally charged, nor did they perform any reef restoration. (426) In
January 2016, billionaire Paul Allen's super yacht ‘Tatoosh ’ damaged 13,000 square feet of a coral reef in the
Cayman Islands. Allen had remediation work done to the reef reattaching more than 1,600 organisms in March
2016. (427) If passing ships have the potential to damage fragile and rare coral reefs, why are these areas not
deemed a no-sailing zone? How many thousands of similar unreported incidents have possibly happened at coral
reefs and in other fragile marine ecosystems throughout the world?
Dams
There are more than 57,000 dams worldwide which have flooded 154,440 square miles of once dry land, an area
about the size of California. (208) When dams are built, ecosystems are disrupted and changed forever displacing
and killing many species of flora and fauna, some even endemic. Dams change the ecology of an ecosystem
affecting natural floodplains and waterways, while also creating a barrier between the upstream and downstream
movements of migratory river faunae, especially fish species like salmon and trout. River sediment which
creates deltas, alluvial fans, levees, and coastal shores is also disrupted when a river is dammed. Homo sapiens
are also displaced causing disruption and excessive stress on resources of other areas which must accommodate
new inhabitants. A recent example of this was the Three Gorges Dam in China which forced over 1,000,000
Homo sapiens to relocate. Dams also result in a possible loss of productive agricultural land area, archaeological
sites, and natural wonders. Dam failure can potentially cause massive damage and result in loss of life, like the
1975 Banqiao Dam failure in China which killed more than 171,000 Homo sapiens and displaced 1 1,000,000
surviving residents. There are only enough water resources in an area to sustain a certain number of inhabitants,
and this number is determinant as to what is available naturally in each type of ecosystem on Earth, some with
more abundant water resources than others. Instead of attempting to change this and disrupt the regions ecology,
would not the more logical solution be to have less inhabitants in the area and do less water consuming activities
such as practicing agriculture in the desert? Are there not enough other natural sources like solar and wind to
harness energy from, instead of creating massive ecologically disruptive dams?
Mineral Extraction
For thousands of years Homo sapiens have extracted, used, and disposed of improperly a variety of minerals,
many of them toxic. These minerals, some of which are extremely toxic, were buried in the Earth for millions of
years slowly being recycled by natural processes, and now they have been brought to Earth’s surface potentially
exposing all terrestrial lifeforms to their toxicity. In December 2016, between 3,000 and 4,000 migrating snow
geese died from exposure to heavy metals and sulfuric acid when they landed in the toxic Berkeley Pit, a former
open pit copper mine in Montana. (448) If birds die on contact with a body of water, is this not a sign that there
should be even more strict environmental regulations and cleanup when mining? Should Homo sapiens be
extracting vast amounts of lead, zinc, mercury, or other highly toxic chemicals to remain on the surface
potentially contaminating the water, air, and soils? How many thousands of mines now have millions of gallons
of toxic tailings leftover? Are Homo sapiens creating a cesspool of toxic waste to live in on Earth, and what
consequence will there be to not only Homo sapiens, but to other life on Earth as well? Should not these highly
toxic minerals be more conservatively used, if at all? How many millions of holes have been drilled into Earth to
extract all of these minerals? There is already serious discussion about space mining and the potential to
extracting minerals and other natural resources from outer space. What negative effects could this possibly have
on Earth’s ecosystems by adding vast quantities of additional cobalt, titanium, iron, nickel, platinum, or other
potentially unknown toxic elements to Earth?
Since Homo sapiens began working with mercury thousands of years ago, anthropogenic activities have released
an estimated 350,000 tonnes of mercury onto Earth, with 39% being emitted before 1850 and 61% after 1850.
(424) Some mercury has been intentionally dumped into the hydrosphere and lithosphere causing severe
pollution, but the majority has been released into the atmosphere from the burning of coal and from the
production of gold, cement, and steel. The Arctic tundra has also become a global sink for atmospheric mercury
pollution resulting from coal burning and other anthropogenic activities which release mercury into the
atmosphere. (406) This mercury depository slowly releases the mercury from the soils into the rivers, and
ultimately it flows into the oceans. If the permafrost thaws as a result of global warming, will this release vast
sums of mercury into the oceans and if so what effect will this have?
For thousands of years, materialistic views have led to the excessive mining of gold, diamonds, silver, copper,
and other precious minerals to produce unnecessary and extravagant items like jewelry and other aesthetically
appealing things. Historically through 2011, an estimated 171,300 metric tons of gold was mined, and currently
84,300 tons are held privately in the form of jewelry, 33,000 tons is held as an investment, 29,500 tons is held
commercially by central hanks as official stocks, 20,800 tons has been fabricated into other products, and the
remaining 3,600 tons is unaccounted for. In 2017, an estimated 73% of the world’s jewelry production was done
by India, China, Italy, Turkey, the United States, and Russia. (496) How much environmental damage has been
done mining for gold over the last 4,000 years, mostly for jewelry and mainly for materialism? How many
millions of Homo sapiens have been killed or injured throughout history during the pursuit and fight over gold?
During the cold war, to supply the demand for United States nuclear weapons, the Navajo Nation in the western
United States was so exploited for Uranium that homes and drinking water sources still today have elevated
levels of radiation. Between 1944 and 1986, nearly 30,000,000 tons of uranium ore was extracted from Navajo
lands leaving some 500 abandoned uranium mines (AUMs). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
been working to resolve this toxic legacy since the 1 990s, but progress has been extremely slow, as is often the
case with environmental remediation done by the government. (642)
SOURCE: EPA - https://www.epa.gov/navaio-nation-uranium-cleanup/cleaning-abandoned-uraniiim-mines
Asbestos has been used by Homo sapiens for thousands of years, and although consumption peaked in 1973 at
804,000 tons after it was linked to asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer, it is still not banned in the United
Sates and its use continues throughout the world with more than 2,000,000 tons being used in 2014. (446) In
2004, there were 107,000 deaths worldwide which were related to occupational exposure to asbestos. (447) A
2005 monograph by RAND Corporation found that the asbestos litigation was the longest-running mass tort
litigation to date in United States history, and that through 2002 there have been 730,000 individuals that were
exposed to asbestos and have brought claims against 8,400 business entities. They also found that
$70,000,000,000 was spent by defendants and insurers, with more than half of this money being consumed by
the claimants’ and defendants’ litigation expenses. (539) Why is the use of asbestos still tolerated, why has it not
been completely banned by the government? How many millions of metric tons of asbestos have been mined and
now pollute the Earth? How many millions of tons of asbestos still insulate buildings waiting to be exposed in
the future when being remodeled or demolished? How many millions of deaths have been caused by asbestos
exposure? How many millions more coidd die as a result of future asbestos exposure?
During alumina production derived from bauxite, for each ton of metallic aluminum produced some 2 tons of
toxic red mud are generated. This extremely toxic by-product which is very difficult to dispose of is toxic to
most all living organisms. Each year, 30,000,000 tons of red mud are produced worldwide, consisting of
alumina, iron oxide, titanium oxide, silica, calcium oxide, alkali, and other trace elements. (283)
2015 Global Mineral Commodity Production Statistics
Mineral
World Production
(Metric Tons / Dry Tons
Recycling
When Applicable) unless
otherwise noted
Fused aluminum
oxide
1,290,000
Up to 30% of fused aluminum oxide may be recycled.
Silicon carbide
1,010,000
About 5% of silicon carbide is recycled.
Aluminum
58,300,000
In 2015, aluminum recovered from purchased scrap in the United States was about 3.61
million tons, of which about 54% came from new (manufacturing) scrap and 46% from
old scrap (discarded aluminum products). Aluminum recovered from old scrap was
equivalent to about 30% of apparent consumption.
Antimony
150,000
The bulk of secondary antimony is recovered at secondary lead smelters as antimonial
lead, most of which was generated by, and then consumed by, the lead-acid battery
industry.
Arsenic trioxide
36,000
Arsenic metal was recycled from GaAs semiconductor manufacturing. Arsenic contained
in the process water at wood treatment plants where CCA was used was also recycled.
Although electronic circuit boards, relays, and switches may contain arsenic, no arsenic
was recovered from them during recycling to recover other contained metals. No arsenic
was recovered domestically from arsenic-containing residues and dusts generated at
nonferrous smelters in the United States.
Asbestos
2,000,000
None.
Alumina
118,000,000
None.
Bauxite
274,000,000
None.
Barite
7,460,000
None.
Beryllium
300
Beryllium was recovered from new scrap generated during the manufacture of beryllium
products and from old scrap. Detailed data on the quantities of beryllium recycled are not
available but may account for as much as 20% to 25% of total beryllium consumption.
The leading U.S. beryllium producer established a comprehensive recycling program for
all of its beryllium products, recovering approximately 40% of its new and old beryllium
alloy scrap. Beryllium manufactured from recycled sources requires only 20% of the
energy as that of beryllium manufactured from primary sources.
Bismuth
13,600
Bismuth-containing new and old alloy scrap was recycled and thought to compose less
than 10% of U.S. bismuth consumption, or about 80 tons.
Boron
5,960,000
Insignificant.
Bromide
390,000
Some bromide solutions were recycled to obtain elemental bromine and to prevent the
solutions from being disposed of as hazardous waste. Hydrogen bromide is emitted as a
byproduct in many organic reactions. This byproduct waste is recycled with virgin
bromine brines and is a source of bromine production. Plastics containing bromine flame
retardants can be incinerated as solid organic waste, and the bromine can be recovered.
This recycled bromine is not included in the virgin bromine production reported to the
U.S. Geological Survey by companies but may be included in data collected by the U.S.
Census Bureau.
Cadmium
24,200
Secondary cadmium is mainly recovered from spent consumer and industrial NiCd
batteries. Other waste and scrap from which cadmium can be recovered includes copper-
cadmium alloy scrap, some complex nonferrous alloy scrap, and cadmium-containing
dust from electric arc furnaces (EAF). The amount of cadmium recovered from secondary
sources in 2015 was withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data.
Cement
4,100,000,000
Cement kiln dust is routinely recycled to the kilns, which also can make use of a variety
of waste fuels and recycled raw materials such as slags and fly ash. Various secondary
materials can be incorporated as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in blended
cements and in the cement paste in concrete. Cement is not directly recycled, but
significant quantities of concrete are recycled for use as construction aggregate.
Cesium
Unavailable
Consumption, import, and export data for cesium have not been available since the late
1980s. Because cesium metal is not traded in commercial quantities, a market price is
unavailable. Only a few thousand kilograms of cesium are consumed in the United States
every year. Cesium fonnate brines are typically rented by oil and gas exploration clients.
After completion of the well, the used cesium formate brine is returned and reprocessed
for subsequent drilling operations. Cesium formate production from Canada was
estimated to be 5,630 tons per year, including 3,890 tons of cesium from 17,300 tons of
pollucite ore. The formate brines are recycled with a recovery rate of 85%, which can be
retrieved for further use.
Chromium
27,000,000
In 2015, recycled chromium (contained in reported stainless steel scrap receipts)
accounted for 34% of apparent consumption.
(Clay) Bentonite
16,000,000
Insignificant.
(Clay) Fuller’s
earth
3,240,000
Insignificant.
(Clay) Kaolin
34,000,000
Insignificant.
Cobalt
124,000
In 2015, cobalt contained in purchased scrap represented an estimated 28% of cobalt
reported consumption.
Copper
18,700,000
Old scrap, converted to refined metal and alloys, provided 160,000 tons of copper,
equivalent to 9% of apparent consumption. Purchased new scrap, derived from fabricating
operations, yielded 670,000 tons of contained copper. Of the total copper recovered from
scrap (including aluminum- and nickel-base scrap), brass mills recovered 79%; copper
smelters, refiners, and ingot makers, 15%; and miscellaneous manufacturers, foundries,
and chemical plants, 6%. Copper in all scrap contributed about 32% of the U.S. copper
supply.
Diamonds
(industrial)
54,000,000 carats
In 2015, the amount of diamond bort, grit, and dust and powder recycled was estimated to
be 37.8 million carats with an estimated value of $27.4 million. It was estimated that
477,000 carats of diamond stone was recycled with an estimated value of $ 1 .36 million.
Natural diamond accounts for about 1% of all industrial diamond used; synthetic diamond
accounts for the remainder. At least 15 countries have the technology to produce synthetic
diamond. In 2015, China was the world’s leading producer of synthetic industrial
diamond, with annual production exceeding 4 billion carats.
Diatomite
2,290,000
None.
Feldspar and
nepheline syenite
21,200,000
Feldspar and nepheline syenite are not recycled by producers; however, glass container
producers use cullet (recycled container glass), thereby reducing feldspar and nepheline
syenite consumption.
Fluorspar
6,250,000
A few thousand tons per year of synthetic fluorspar are recovered — primarily from
uranium enrichment, but also from petroleum alkylation and stainless steel pickling.
Primary aluminum producers recycle HF and fluorides from smelting operations. HF is
recycled in the petroleum alkylation process.
Gallium
435
Old scrap, none. Substantial quantities of new scrap generated in the manufacture of
GaAs-based devices were reprocessed to recover high-purity gallium at one facility in
Utah
Gamet (industrial)
1,660,000
Small quantities of gamet reportedly are recycled.
Germanium
165,500 kilograms
Worldwide, about 30% of the total germanium consumed is produced from recycled
materials. During the manufacture of most optical devices, more than 60% of the
germanium metal used is routinely recycled as new scrap. Germanium scrap is also
recovered from the window blanks in decommissioned tanks and other military vehicles.
Gold
3,000
In 2015, 140 tons of new and old scrap was recycled, slightly less than the reported
consumption. Following the decline in price, the domestic and global supply of gold from
recycling continued to decline from the high level in 2011.
Graphite (Natural)
1,190,000
Refractory brick and linings, alumina-graphite refractories for continuous metal castings,
magnesiagraphite refractory brick for basic oxygen and electric arc furnaces, and
insulation brick were the leading sources of recycled graphite products. The market for
recycled refractory graphite material is growing, with material being reused in products
such as brake linings and thermal insulation. Recovering high-quality flake graphite from
steelmaking kish, a mixture of graphite, desulfurization slag, and iron, is technically
feasible, but not practiced at the present time because it is not economical. The abundance
of graphite in the world market inhibits increased recycling efforts. Information on the
quantity and value of recycled graphite is not available.
Gypsum
258,000,000
Some of the more than 4 million tons of gypsum scrap that was generated by wallboard
manufacturing, wallboard installation, and building demolition was recycled. The
recycled gypsum was used primarily for agricultural purposes and feedstock for the
manufacture of new wallboard. Other potential markets for recycled gypsum include
athletic field marking, cement production as a stucco additive, grease absorption, sludge
drying, and water treatment.
Helium
168,000,000
cubic meters
In the United States, helium used in large-volume applications is seldom recycled. Some
low- volume or liquid boil-off recovery systems are used. In the rest of the world, helium
recycling is practiced more often.
Indium
755
Data on the quantity of secondary indium recovered from scrap were not available.
Indium is most commonly recovered from ITO scrap in Japan and the Republic of Korea.
A small quantity of scrap was recycled domestically.
Iodine
30,300
Small amounts of iodine were recycled, but no data were reported.
Iron and Steel
1,180,000,000
Pig Iron
1,640,000,000
Raw Steel
Recycled iron and steel scrap is a vital raw material for the production of new steel and
cast iron products. The steel and foundry industries in the United States have been
structured to recycle scrap, and, as a result, are highly dependent upon scrap. In the
United States, the primary source of old steel scrap was the automobile. The recycling
rate for automobiles in 2013, the latest year for which statistics were available, was about
85%. In 2013, the automotive recycling industry recycled more than 14 million tons of
steel from end-of-life vehicles through more than 300 car shredders, the equivalent of
nearly 12 million automobiles. More than 7,000 vehicle dismantlers throughout North
America resell parts. The recycling rates for appliances and steel cans in 2013 were 82%
and 70%, respectively; this was the latest year for which statistics were available.
Recycling rates for construction materials in 2013 were, as in 2012, about 98% for plates
and beams and 72% for rebar and other materials. The recycling rates for appliance, can,
and construction steel are expected to increase not only in the United States, but also in
emerging industrial countries at an even greater rate.
Iron Ore
3,320,000,000
None.
Kyanite and
related minerals
420,000
Insignificant.
Lead
4,710,000
In 2015, about 1.12 million tons of secondary lead was produced, an amount equivalent to
69% of apparent domestic consumption. Nearly all secondary lead was recovered from
old (post-consumer) scrap.
Lime
350,000,000
Large quantities of lime are regenerated by paper mills. Some municipal water-treatment
plants regenerate lime from softening sludge. Quicklime is regenerated from waste
hydrated lime in the carbide industry. Data for these sources were not included as
production in order to avoid duplication
Lithium
32,500
Historically, lithium recycling has been insignificant but has increased steadily owing to
the growth in consumption of lithium batteries. One U.S. company has recycled lithium
metal and lithium-ion batteries since 1992 at its facility in British Columbia, Canada. In
2009, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded the company $9.5 million to construct the
first U.S. recycling facility for lithium-ion vehicle batteries. Construction neared
completion in 2015. Lithium consumption for batteries has increased significantly in
recent years because rechargeable lithium batteries are used extensively in the growing
market for portable electronic devices and increasingly are used in electric tools, electric
vehicles, and grid storage applications. There are an estimated 14,000,000 metric tons of
known lithium reserves worldwide.
Magnesium
compounds
8,300,000
Some magnesia-based refractories are recycled, either for reuse as refractory material or
for use as construction aggregate.
Magnesium metal
910,000
In 2015, about 25,000 tons of secondary magnesium was recovered from old scrap and
55,000 tons were recovered from new scrap. Aluminum-base alloys accounted for 77% of
the secondary magnesium recovered. Magnesium chloride produced as a waste product of
titanium sponge production at a plant in Utah is returned to the primary magnesium
supplier where it is reduced to produce metallic magnesium; however, this metal is not
included in the secondary magnesium statistics.
Maganese
18,000,000
Manganese was recycled incidentally as a constituent of ferrous and nonferrous scrap;
however, scrap recovery specifically for manganese was negligible. Manganese is
recovered along with iron from steel slag.
Mercury
2,340
In 2015, six companies in the United States accounted for the majority of secondary
mercury production. Mercury-containing automobile convenience switches, barometers,
compact and traditional fluorescent lamps, computers, dental amalgam, medical devices,
thermostats, and some mercury-containing toys were collected by as many as 50 smaller
companies and shipped to the refining companies for retorting to reclaim the mercury. In
addition, many collection companies recovered mercury when retorting was not required.
The increased use of mercury substitutes has resulted in a shrinking reservoir of mercury-
containing products for recycling. Minimizing the use of mercury in products that still
require mercury has further reduced the amount of secondary mercury available for
recovery.
Mica (natural)
1,120,000
None.
Molybdenum
267,000
Molybdenum is recycled as a component of catalysts, ferrous scrap, and superalloy scrap.
Ferrous scrap comprises revert scrap, and new and old scrap. Revert scrap refers to
remnants manufactured in the steelmaking process. New scrap is generated by steel mill
customers and recycled by scrap collectors and processors. Old scrap is largely
molybdenum-bearing alloys recycled after serving their useful life. The amount of
molybdenum recycled as part of new and old steel and other scrap may be as much as
30% of the apparent supply of molybdenum. There are no processes for the separate
recovery and refining of secondary molybdenum from its alloys. Molybdenum is not
recovered separately from recycled steel and superalloys, but the molybdenum content of
the recycled alloys is significant, and the molybdenum content is reused. Recycling of
molybdenum-bearing scrap will continue to be dependent on the markets for the principal
alloy metals of the alloys in which molybdenum is found, such as iron, nickel, and
chromium.
Nickel
2,530,000
In 2015,101,900 tons of nickel was recovered from purchased scrap in 2015. This
represented about 45% of reported secondary plus apparent primary consumption for the
year.
Niobium
56,000
Niobium was recycled when niobium-bearing steels and superalloys were recycled; scrap
recovery specifically for niobium content was negligible. The amount of niobium
recycled is not available, but it may be as much as 20% of apparent consumption.
Nitrogen (fixed)
Ammonia
146,000,000
None.
Peat
27,600,000
None.
Perlite
2,680,000
Not available.
Phosphate rock
223,000,000
None.
Platinum-group
metals Platinum,
palladium,
rhodium,
ruthenium,
iridium, osmium
178,000 kilograms
Platinum
208,000 kilograms
Palladium
An estimated 125,000 kilograms of platinum, palladium, and rhodium was recovered
globally from new and old scrap in 2015, including about 55,000 kilograms recovered
from automobile catalytic converters in the United States.
Potash
38,800,000
None.
Pumice and
pumicite
17,200,000
Not Available.
Quartz crystal
(industrial)
Unavailable
An unspecified amount of rejected cultured quartz crystal was used as feed material for
the production of cultured quartz crystal.
Rare earths
124,000
Limited quantities, from batteries, permanent magnets, and fluorescent lamps.
Rhenium
46,000 kilograms
Nickel-based superalloy scrap and scrapped turbine blades and vanes continued to be
recycled hydrometallurgically to produce rhenium metal for use in new superalloy melts.
The scrapped parts were also processed to generate engine revert — a high-quality, lower
cost superalloy meltstock — by a growing number of companies, mainly in the United
States, Canada, Estonia, Germany, and Russia. Rhenium-containing catalysts were also
recycled.
Rubidium
80,000
None.
Salt
273,000,000
None.
Sand and gravel
construction)
931,000,000
(United States only World
total unavailable)
Recycling of asphalt road surface layers, cement concrete surface layers, and concrete
structures was increasing, although it was still a small percentage of aggregates
consumption.
Sand and gravel
(industrial)
181,000,000
Some foundry sand is recycled, and recycled cullet (pieces of glass) represents a
significant proportion ofreused silica. About 34% of glass containers are recycled.
Scandium
Unavailable
None.
Selenium
2,340
(World total excluding
United States)
Domestic production of secondary selenium was estimated to be very small because most
scrap from older plain paper photocopiers and electronic materials was exported for
recovery of the contained selenium.
Silicon
8,100,000
Insignificant.
Silver
27,300
In 2015, approximately 1,200 tons of silver was recovered from new and old scrap, about
15% of apparent consumption.
Soda ash
51,700,00
No soda ash was recycled by producers; however, glass container producers are using
cullet glass, thereby reducing soda ash consumption.
Stone (crushed)
1,320,000,000
(United States only World
total unavailable)
Road surfaces made of asphalt and crushed stone and portland cement concrete surface
layers and structures were recycled on a limited but increasing basis in most States.
Asphalt road surfaces and concrete were recycled in all 50 States. The amount of material
reported to be recycled increased by 3% in 2015 compared with that of the previous year.
Stone (dimension)
2,510,000
Small amounts of dimension stone were recycled, principally by restorers of old stone
work.
Strontium
320,000
None.
Sulfur
70,100,000
Typically, between 2.5 million and 5 million tons of spent sulfuric acid is reclaimed from
petroleum refining and chemical processes during any given year.
Talc and
pyrophyllite
7,320,000
Insignificant.
Tantalum
1,200
Tantalum was recycled mostly from new scrap that was generated during the manufacture
of tantalumcontaining electronic components and from tantalum-containing cemented
carbide and superalloy scrap.
Tellurium
120
(World total excluding
United States)
For traditional metallurgical and chemical uses, there was little or no old scrap from
which to extract secondary tellurium because these uses of tellurium are highly dispersive
or dissipative. Avery small amount of tellurium was recovered from scrapped selenium-
tellurium photoreceptors employed in older plain paper copiers in Europe. A plant in the
United States recycled tellurium from CdTe solar cells; however, the amount recycled was
limited, because CdTe solar cells were relatively new and had not reached the end of their
useful life.
Thallium
less than 10,000
kilograms
None.
Thorium
Unavailable
None.
Tin
294,000
About 12,600 tons of tin from old and new scrap was recycled in 2015 accounting for
about 30% of apparent consumption. Of this, about 10,600 tons was recovered from old
scrap at 2 detinning plants and about 75 secondary nonferrous metal-processing plants.
Titanium and
titanium dioxide
171,000
About 51,000 tons of scrap metal was recycled by the titanium industry in 2015.
Estimated use of titanium scrap by the steel industry was about 10,200 tons; by the
superalloy industry, 500 tons; and by other industries, 1,200 tons.
Titanium mineral
concentrates
Ilmenite 5,610,000
Rutile 6,090,000
None.
Tungsten
87,000
In 2015, the estimated tungsten contained in scrap consumed by processors and end users
represented 59% of apparent consumption of tungsten in all forms.
Vanadium
79,400
The quantity of vanadium recycled from spent chemical process catalysts was significant
and may compose as much as 40% of total vandium catalysts. Some tool steel scrap was
recycled primarily for its vanadium content but this only accounted for a small percentage
of total vanadium used.
Vermiculite
408,000
Insignificant.
Wollastonite
550,000
None.
Yttrium
8,000- 10,000
Small quantities, primarily from phosphors.
Zeolites (natural)
2,780,000
Zeolites used for desiccation, gas absorbance, wastewater cleanup, and water purification
may be reused after reprocessing of the spent zeolites. Infonnation about the quantity of
recycled natural zeolites was unavailable.
Zinc
13,400,000
In 2015, about 37% (65,000 tons) of the refined zinc produced in the United States was
recovered from secondary materials at both primary and secondary smelters. Secondary
materials included galvanizing residues and crude zinc oxide recovered from electric arc
furnace dust.
Zirconium and
hafnium
1,410
Companies in Oregon and Utah recycled zirconium from new scrap generated during
metal production and fabrication and/or from post-commercial old scrap. Zircon foundry
mold cores and spent or rejected zirconia refractories are often recycled. Hafnium metal
recycling was insignificant.
SOURCE: USGS 2016 USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries ISBN 978-1-4 1 1 3—40 11-4 -
httDs://minerals.uses.eov/minerals/Dubs/mcs/2016/mcs2016.Ddf
Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal) are carbon that was removed from Earth’s carbon cycle millions of years
ago, this natural carbon sequestration process balances all the carbon on Earth by slowly releasing the carbon
over millions of more years, versus rapidly releasing it back into the environment when it is used as a fuel like
Homo sapiens have done over the last 200 years. Continuing to use oil, natural gas and coal will only further
release more stored carbon into the Earth's delicately balanced equilibrium formula, and only cause more
environmental damage. In every stage of fossil fuel use, be it the extraction, processing, or consumption phase,
there are negative environmental impacts. Pollution is caused in every sphere of Earth, and as a result of fossil
fuel consumption the air, water, and soil have all been negatively impacted to some degree. Fossil fuel use
should not be cutback so that greenhouse gas emissions can be maintained at a so called acceptable level, fossil
fuel use should be eliminated entirely, as it is toxic to the Earth in all forms. Fossil fuels and other toxic minerals
are buried within Earth for a reason, they are toxic to Earth’s surface and to most all living organisms on Earth,
including Homo sapiens. No lifeform is naturally made with them, nor does any other species utilize them to
facilitate their existence except Homo sapiens.
Since 1751, more than 337,000,000,000 metric tonnes of carbon have been released into Earth’s atmosphere
from the consumption of fossil fuels and cement production, with half of these emissions having been emitted
since the mid-1970s. (179) Richard Fleede did an 8-year study on carbon dioxide emissions and the companies
which were responsible for those emission. He concluded that almost 2/3 of carbon dioxide emitted since the
1750s were from the 90 largest fossil fuel and cement producers, most of which are still conducting operations to
this day. Heede’s research also attributes 63% of the carbon dioxide and methane emissions between 1751 and
2010 to just 90 entities aka the ‘Carbon Majors’. In total, Heede’s research investigated 56 oil and natural gas
companies, 37 coal producers, and the carbon dioxide emissions from 7 cement manufacturers. (174)
FEBRUARY 9, 2011
History of energy consumption in the United States,
1775-2009
History of energy consumption in the United States, 1775-2009
quadrillion Btu
45
Source: U S. Energy Information Administration - Annual Energy Review 2009
— Petroleum
— Hydroelectric
— Coal
— Wood
— Natural Gas
— Nuclear
SOURCE: EIA - https://www.cia.gov/todaviiicncrgy/dctail.php?id=10
Most societies today have a severe addiction to fossil fuels and have developed a dependency on it, nearly
everything is linked to it in some form, be it the materials, energy generation, or transportation. Petroleum is
most commonly associated with oil and gasoline which is used in automobiles, but in addition to supplying fuel
for transportation and as an energy source, petroleum is used to create a wide range of plastics, lubricants, motor
oil, machine oils, tar, asphalt, synthetic rubbers, fertilizers, dyes, insecticides, solvents, detergents, and many
other everyday products used by consumers. When most of these toxic products are made the processes used to
create the desired product will also create a toxic by-product, this by-product or waste must also be dealt with
can potentially causes even more pollution.
Oil and other Transportation Fuels
In most areas of the United States, shared transportation, (e.g. buses, subways, trains, taxis, etc.) are not utilized
by the majority of citizens and most do not walk or ride bicycles to get to their desitnation either, but instead
drive automobiles. How many automobiles are just sitting most of the time parked, when they could be shared
and utilized by all? Perhaps automobiles in the future will not be owned by individuals but will be more like a
form of shared community transportation, a fleet of self-driving automobiles which all have access to. The World
Health Organization reported that there were 1,250,000 road traffic deaths globally in 2013. (597) In November
2017, a driver in Virginia hit a bobcat, the driver didn’t stop, but rather continued to her destination 50 miles
away only to later find the bobcat still alive and lodged in the grill of the automobile. The bobcat suffered head
trauma, a minor cut on the back, and no doubt psychological trauma, but wildlife officials said they planned to
release it back into the wild once it had fully recovered in about a month. (603) How many millions of deer,
moose, rabbits, snakes, racoons, opossums, birds, insects, and other faunae are injured or killed by automobiles
every year? Will autonomous vehicles reduce or perhaps even eliminate vehicle fatalities and even other non-
fatal vehicle accidents?
Gasoline is one of the most inefficient automobile fuel sources, as up to 70% of the energy produced is wasted
and emitted in the form of exhaust heat. The VW Beetle manufactured between 1938 and 2006 is an example of
an automobile that has polluted the atmosphere for more than 65 years and continues to pollute long after
emissions were set up and mandatory in most countries around the world. Currently, in the United States, antique
or classic automobiles are exempt from emission standards, will they always be allowed to pollute the Earth
because they are historic? Automobile fuel efficiency begins to decline once 55 mph (89 kph) is reached, so why
even make an automobile that can travel faster than this, unless it is for emergency purposes? (e.g. fire, medical,
police, etc.) During the conversion to electric vehicles, how many of the billions of gasoline and diesel
automobiles that have already been made will perhaps remain on the roads for the next 50 years or more
polluting the Earth? How long will it take for poorer less developed nations to convert over to electric vehicles?
When will gasoline become obsolete and unavailable like whale oil and other fuels of the past?
In 2016, the world consumed 3,990,000,000 gallons of oil per day, which added up to an annual consumption of
145,635,000,000,000,000 gallons. (180) Between 1950 and 2013, the world manufactured around 1,105,764,000
gasoline or diesel-based passenger automobiles and light commercial vehicles, (e.g. pickup trucks and vans) This
total does not include the millions of additional military vehicles, tractor trailers, buses, recreational vehicles,
and other commercial vehicles in service. Between 1978 and 2014, 9,312,700 recreational vehicles were
manufactured in the United States. (201) These millions of off highway vehicles (OHV) often operate in U.S.
National Forests, State Parks, and other remote ecosystems contributing directly to invasive species, erosion,
pollution, litter, and noise pollution. In 2014, there were nearly 1 1,000,000 registered semi-trucks in the United
States, a 3% increase from the previous year. (282) Most of these semi -trucks are fueled by dirtier diesel fuel, and
only get around 6.5 miles per gallon. Many semi -truck drivers sleep in their trucks with it running, as it is less
expensive than a hotel room. If a semi -truck bums on average around 1 gallon of fuel when idling, how many
millions of gallons of diesel fuel are burned in all the millions of semi -trucks every day just while idling? Why
don’t transportation companies pay for drivers lodging to prevent this unnecessary waste of fuel and pollution of
the environment?
In 2012, there were 111,289,906 registered vehicles in the United States, most of them gasoline powered,
compared with only 2,893,450 hybrid automobiles sold in the United States between 2000 and 2013. (88) Some
automobile manufacturers are ramping up production on electric vehicles, Volvo announced that by 2019 all the
automobiles it will produce will be either hybrid or 100% electrically powered, (407) and GM announced that it
plans to add 20 all-electric models by 2023. (547) Some other automobile manufacturers are also currently
offering or plan on adding at least one electric or hybrid model, and while the new all electric vehicle company
Tesla sold 76,230 electric automobiles in 2016, it is a very miniscule amount compared with 1,105,764,000
gasoline or diesel-based automobiles which have been produced. (408) How long will it take for every driver of a
fossil fuel powered automobile to convert to an all-electric automobile? Will governments around the world
enact environmental legislation which prohibit the future production and use of all gasoline and diesel vehicles?
If gas prices remain low, will this make consumers switching to an electric automobile take even longer, as many
consumers seem to be more motivated by money and not about reducing their carbon footprint?
The first electric automobile was invented by Robert Davidson in 1837, and yet in 2017 only 777,497 electric
automobiles were sold worldwide. (349) The technology has been in existence for 180 years, but the conversion
to electric automobiles has been done at a very slow pace, and with much reluctance from not only the
automobile industries, but by many consumers also. Knowing that gasoline automobiles have been a major
source of carbon dioxide emissions for more than 50 years, why has so little been done to curb emissions,
convert to electric automobiles, and setup a more reliable vast public transportation network of electric trains and
buses? General Motors and other companies purposely derailed electric transportation since its inception, from
the ‘General Motors Streetcar Conspiracy’ between 1938 and 1950, to the termination ofthe EV1 in 1999. Jim
Klein's 1996 documentary 'Taken for a Ride' and Chris Paine's 2006 documentary 'Who Killed the Electric Car?'
both give a detailed history on how early electric transportation was obstructed.
A fact which is often overlooked, is that unless all future land, sea, air, and space vehicles are independently
solar powered, converting to electric vehicles will also require a significant increase in electricity generation in
order to fuel these vehicles. This will not only place stress on worldwide electricity infrastructures, but would
also increase pollution from these sources, thus making the conversion pointless unless electricity infrastructures
are first converted to 1 00% renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Another point to consider are the vast
amounts of resources which will need to be mined to create the billions of batteries. What will be the
environmental consequences of extracting the vast amounts of lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese to
manufacture the billions of lithium-ion batteries for the newly emerging electric transportation industry? Will
another less toxic substance like molten salt or another innovation be used to store thermal energy in the future?
Perhaps other future technologies which have even less environmental impacts than electric vehicles will be
further developed, like compressed air automobiles. The Sun has abundant and endless energy radiating down on
Earth, if development resources in the future are focused on improving solar panel technology, perhaps the solar
panel alone would power everything from a cellphone to a rocket with no thermal storage needed. Batteries and
charging systems not only pollute, but they can be made into another commodity which a corporation can make
money from, as they have with coal and oil. If every electric device, all transportation, and every home were
power independent, requiring only a third party for repairs, how much less polluted would the world be and how
much money would the world save?
The future of transportation appears to be slow at starting to the conversion of electric vehicles, but it appears
that eventually a total conversion towards not only electric, but also autonomous vehicles from automobiles to
airplanes will occur. The first manned free flight by an electrically powered airplane was made in 1973, and in
2016 the ‘Solar Impulse 2 ’ was the first piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power to circumnavigate the
Earth. And while most modern-day electrical aircraft are only experimental demonstrators, the future of aviation
is rapidly undergoing major design changes with electrical power upgrades. Airbus is developing the E-Fan X, a
hybrid-electric airliner, with Rolls-Royce and Siemens which is expected to fly in 2020. In September 2017,
EasyJet announced it had also started developing a 180-seat electric airliner with Wright Electric that is
forecasted to be operational by 2027. NASA has the X-57 Maxwell experimental aircraft which aims to reduce
fuel use, emissions, and noise. In addition, NASA has the Puffin Project which is another technology-concept
proprotor aircraft that has been proposed and would be a personal vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) which
would have hover-capabilities, be electrically-powered, and have low-noise. How long will it take until all
aircraft are 1 00% electric, perhaps 1 00 years or more?
In 2016, there were more than 416,000 general aviation helicopters, airplanes, and other aircraft flying in the
world, (e.g. aircraft for personal and recreational use, business, flight instruction, aeromedical, etc.) (566), in
addition to the 29,730 military aircraft and attack helicopters mentioned in the previous chapter. In 2014, there
were 37,960,000 flights worldwide, airlines carried more than 3,000,000,000 passengers, and shipping
companies transported more than 50,000,000 tonnes of freight by aircraft. (571) Depending on the fuel type, an
aircraft can emit large quantities of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, black carbon, sulfur
oxides, and tetraethyllead from piston aircraft engines. Aircraft noise receives very little attention and has been
accepted as just another city noise even though it can cause annoyance, stress, hearing impairment, hypertension,
sleep disturbance, and other negative health impact. Although the subject has been studied very little, contrails
produced by aircraft do affect the cloudiness of the Earth’s atmosphere, which in turn might affect the
atmospheric temperature and climate of Earth. Observations from 1971 to 1995, showed that cirrus cloud cover
increased significantly in some areas, while decreasing in other areas because of contrails produced from air
traffic. (318) These cirrus clouds formed by contrails are capable of increasing average surface temperatures, and
they are thought to be responsible for the warming trend between 1975 and 1994. (319) Beginning in the 1920s,
Tetraethyllead was added to gasoline, but was phased out in most parts of the world when it was found to be
accumulating in the atmosphere, soils, and in the population. As of 2017, Tetraethyllead was still being added to
automobile fuels in Yemen, Iraq, and Algeria while also still being widely used in avgas aviation fuels for more
than 300,000 piston powered aircraft around the world.
More than 5,000 rockets have been launched from Earth consuming millions of gallons of rocket fuel. When
burned, these vast amounts of rocket fuel pollute and can even destroy the atmosphere and rain down large
quantities of microscopic soot onto the Earth. There are little to no emission controls or other environmental
impact standards set by governments in regard to rocket launches, which are done by the government itself and
now by private companies joining the new space race. Between 1967 and 1973, NASA launched 13 Saturn V
rocket's, the tallest, heaviest, and most powerful rockefs ever launched into space. In total all 1 3 rockets
consumed 2,644,200 gallons of kerosene fuel and 4,134,000 gallons of liquid oxygen. Modern-day rocket fuels
consist of chemicals like liquid oxygen, nitrogen tetroxide, liquid hydrogen, hydrogen peroxide, hydrazine,
nitrous oxide, and a range of other chemicals. Some rocket fuels also deplete the ozone, solid rocket fuels
contain aluminum, ammonium perchlorate, and a polymer matrix, which when combusted gives rise to chlorine.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched in 2017, was so powerful that it generated the first known circular
acoustic shock wave which created an enormous 900-kilonreter-wide hole in the ionosphere of Earth’s upper
atmosphere, and possibly caused a temporary disruption to Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation. (4)
Natural Gas and Hydraulic Fracturing
For nearly 200 years, natural gas has been extracted from the Earth and it is now widely used to manufacture
fabrics, glass, steel, plastics, paint, and other products, as a transportation fuel source, for domestic heating and
cooking, power generation, and as a major feedstock for the production of ammonia used in fertilizer production.
In 2014, the world consumed an estimated 3,560,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas. (643) Natural gas is
often promoted as a clean renewable energy, but in reality, atmospheric methane is a more potent greenhouse gas
in that it is more efficient at trapping heat in the atmosphere. In addition to emitting carbon dioxide, natural gas
also contains carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and mercury. It also takes vast
resources to extract natural gas, and like oil it is a very dangerous and potentially deadly fuel source. Gas is
highly explosive and toxic to organic lifeforms if inhaled directly or when burned because of carbon monoxide
poisoning. How much natural gas leaks out of old pipes before it even reaches the building for consumption?
Why invest billions of dollars into a deadly and finite energy source which is not clean, but only pollutes the
Earth?
Hydraulic fracturing is the process of releasing stored natural gas by injecting water, sand, and a plethora of
chemicals into the shale layer at an extremely high pressure. A variety of proppants and other substances are
used during the fracking process, some of which may also be toxic, these fracturing fluid chemicals and
wastewater have the potential to contaminate the nearby soil, air, and water with leakage and spillage sometimes
occurring during truck transport, the injection of the wells, and when the tainted water is in storage tanks and
holding pits. Between 1,200,000 and 5,000,000 gallons of water may be consumed during the process of
hydraulically fracturing a gas well. The USGS estimates that 60% to 80% of injected water returns to the surface
as ‘flowback’, with an estimated 15,000 gallons of chemicals in the waste water per 3,000,000 gallons of injected
water. In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified 692 unique ingredients in the hydraulic
fracturing fluids used between January 2011 and February 2013, with some of the most frequently used
chemicals being methanol, isopropanol, glutaraldehyde, potassiumhydroxide, sodium hydroxide, ethylene
glycol, and peroxydisulfuric acid. (527) When present, this wastewater also brings naturally occurring radioactive
materials (NORM), like radium, radon, and uranium to the surface potentially allowing exposure to deadly
elements which were once safely buried within the Earth. (524) The Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempted fluids
used in hydraulic fracturing from the C 
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